


Change

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Born Werewolf Liam Dunbar, Childhood Friends, Derek Hale & Theo Raeken Friendship, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Relationships, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Growing Up Together, Hurt/Comfort, Liam Has A Sister, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Neglect, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pen Pals, Protective Liam Dunbar, Protective Theo Raeken, Rating May Change, Road Trips, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Harm, Theo Has A Brother, Underage Drinking, Vacation, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-04-14 21:39:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14145120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Theo was a really happy kid, he talked all the time, and even gave little performances. Then his parents get divorced and his Mom remarried. Theo slowly starts withdrawing into himself and becomes quiet and withdrawn. Then he meets Liam on vacation. Liam is able to get Theo to open up in ways no one else is able to, not even his sister Tara. The only problem is Liam lives in California and Theo lives in Illinois. The two make do by exchanging letters and talking on the phone, finding ways to stay close despite the distance between them. They get by with the knowledge that one day they will see each other again and finally be together, no matter how long it takes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic started as one thing and then transformed into something else completely. It was supposed to be a one shot and now it's a multi-chapter fic. I don't know how long it'll be yet but it's definitely going to cover up until they both graduate high school, maybe further.  
> Title comes from Change by Good Charlotte, which is also mentioned in this fic. This chapter is also taking place in the late 90's-2002. 
> 
> This has not been beta read so any mistakes are my own. If you see any please point them out and I'll get them fixed.

Theo remembers being happy. He remembers jumping up onto his toy box at his grandparents house and singing for everyone. He remembers being lively and talking to everyone. He remembers making friends with this lady named Rose who played the piano at church and always let him sit beside her while she played. He remembers time with his cousins when it was easy to be around them. He remembers but sometimes it doesn’t seem real, like it was actually something that happened to someone else not him.

Theo is three years old when his parents get divorced. His Dad gives him a kiss on the head, tells him to take care of his sister, and leaves. Theo is too young to understand what that means. He doesn’t get it when his Mom starts dating someone new or when they eventually get married. He doesn’t get it when they move into a new house and he has to share a room for Tara.

He gets it when he’s learning how to ride a bike and his step father Mike throws the bike against the garage in his frustration when he and Tara keep falling off. He gets it when Mike screams and yells at his mother and he’s left to hold Tara when she cries. He gets it when he raises his voice to Tara and threatens to strike her so Theo steps between them. He gets it when he brings a hand up and gingerly touches the bruise on his face that he has to say came from falling off his bike. He gets it all too well. He wishes he didn’t but he does.

He and Tara go to live with his grandparents when he’s 6. He’s already a year behind in school because his Mom and Mike kept moving around so he never got a chance to truly start. He went a few times before they finally decided to hold him back. He tries to make friends but it’s hard. The words never seem to want to come, it’s like they’re always stuck in his throat. So he always hides in the corner at recess, letting his imagination run wild while the other kids play.

Despite that he loves living with his grandparents that he calls Meme and Papa. They’re great. Especially his grandpa. He takes Theo and Tara with him when he runs errands and introduces them to everyone. Tara seems happier here too, even if she does sleep in a cot in their grandpa’s room. It’s probably better for her than his room. Sometimes he has trouble sleeping because of all the dolls.

He still loves living with his grandparents though. He sees his Dad and his side of the family more now since they all live close by. His other grandparents are just as awesome. His grandpa loves to fish and is always bringing home fish to eat. Theo normally doesn’t like fish but he doesn’t mind it so much when his grandma makes it. Tara has a Barbie car that they drive around the yard and sometimes his grandpa flattens boxes for them to ride down the hill near the house.

When Theo is 8 he gets a new baby brother named Cameron. His Dad had remarried a year ago to a woman named Melody. She’d been nice at first and Theo had liked her. Now that she has Cameron she’s a little less friendly, focusing her attention on the new baby and not really wanting Theo and Tara around as much.

Theo still likes spending time with Cameron, he just prefers it when he’s at his grandparents. It’s like there’s a buffer between him and Melody. Despite the new addition and the less than friendly demeanor of his stepmother Theo still enjoys his time with his family. He wishes it could last forever.

It doesn’t. His Mom and Mike come for him and Tara one day out of the blue. Theo is 10, just starting the 4th grade, when his Mom shows up to pick them up from school and says they’re coming back to live with her and Mike. They have a house a few times over to them to live in. Theo doesn’t know why he’s surprised. They’d been back in the state for months now, they’d even adopted a cat named Snowy. Theo cries and throws and fit when they drop Snowy off at the animal shelter on the way to their new house. He cries so much that they wind up turning back around and going to get her.

The cat is a source of comfort for him and Tara. She’s with them through everything. Through his Papa getting sick with cancer, to it going away, to it coming back again and taking him from them. He remembers his Papa refusing to see him and Tara and not understanding why. His Meme comes to pick him and Tara up from church one day and brings them back to the house. He remembers how angry his Papa gets, screaming and telling her she shouldn’t have brought them there.

He still comes out to see them after that, hugging them and giving them ice cream. He tells them that he loves them and that he’s sorry they can’t see him as much. Before they leave he reminds them that he loves them and that won’t change no matter what happens. He’s dead 2 months later.

4 months after that, on Tara’s birthday, his Mom pulls them out of school. She doesn’t explain why at first. It’s not until they’re in the car that they learn that their other grandpa has died. His Mom explains that he had a heart attack and there was nothing the doctors could do.

She tells them the same thing about the doctors not being able to do anything when his Meme is brought to the hospital a month later. He at least gets to see her while she’s there. He’s not sure if that’s better or worse. She doesn’t look good. Her skin is pale but also grey in places, her eyes almost sunken. She looks bad. He might be 12 but he knows enough to know she’s dying. She doesn’t last the night.

He spends a lot of time worrying about his grandma after that. She’s the only grandparent he has left besides Mike’s Dad. Theo might not like Mike much but he loves his family, they’re always nice to him and Tara and make them feel like part of the family.

Theo and Tara switch schools again after their Meme dies. That is after they spend a month living in a hotel. He supposes it would be fun if they weren’t trapped in the same room with their Mom and Mike. The school they wind up switching to is a small one. He can walk to school from the house they’re staying in. It belongs to a friend of Mike’s. His name is Brillo. He’s an alright guy, Theo supposes. He’s never gave Theo a reason to think otherwise. And he took them in when they had nowhere else to go. He can’t be all that bad.

Theo isn’t sure what to think when his Mom and Mike pile them into their van and tell them that they’re going to Yellowstone one day towards the end of June. He gets even more confused when they start passing through the states and he’s sure the ones they’re passing aren’t the right ones. For one, they seem to be traveling _down_ instead of _up_. It’s not until they stop at a rest stop at the beginning of Florida that his parents reveal that they’re going to Disney World.

They wind up spending a month in Disney World. They camp in their camper, which isn’t horrible. While they’re there they see some poor kid getting dragged around the restaurant on his birthday while everyone has to sing happy birthday to him. His name is Liam and he has the brightest blue eyes Theo has ever seen. His face is flushed with embarrassment. He meets Theo’s eyes at some point and all Theo can do is give him a shy smile. He feels something flutter in his gut, something he’s not used to.

He runs into Liam outside the restaurant as they leave. He’s standing by the edge of the lagoon looking across it with his arms on the railing. Theo feels the flutter again as he looks at Liam and the only word he can think of is _beautiful_. He’s never thought of a boy like this before. Technically he’s never thought of anyone like that before. Whatever he’s feeling has him shaking with nerves and he realizes he _needs_ to talk to Liam.

So he steps up to the railing, resting his own arms on the railing beside Liam’s. Liam tilts his head to eye him curiously, at least until he sees Theo and recognition takes over his face. Followed by the same embarrassed flush from before.

“You were in 50’s Prime Time just now weren’t you?” he asks.

Theo nods, giving him a small smile. “Yeah I was. That was...something.”

Liam chuckles, ducking his head as his blush deepens. “That’s one word for it. That’s what you get when you don’t eat your vegetables and want dessert, by the way.”

Theo grins, “Good to know. Lucky for me I can just pawn my vegetables off on my sister. She loves them.”

Liam rolls his head towards where his family is standing, “So does mine. She’s just mean and wanted to see them mess with me so she wouldn’t take them.”

“Is she older?” Theo asks.

Liam sighs, “Yeah by 2 years.”

“So is Tara,” Theo says, pointing to where his sister seems to be talking to the girl Liam had nodded to a few minutes before.

“So,” Liam says, drawing the word out and Theo’s attention back to him. “It seems you know my name right? Because of that whole embarrassing moment. And I know your sister’s. But not yours. I feel like I’m at a slight disadvantage here.”

Theo grins, holding his hand out in the little distance between them. “I’m Theo.”

“Theo,” Liam says with a smile, causing Theo’s stomach to flip at the way he says it. It’s like his name belongs in Liam’s mouth. Which is a weird thought. Theo’s brought back by Liam’s hand clasping around Theo’s. “It’s nice to meet you Theo. I’m Liam. I know you know that but I still feel like it’s weird not to say it.”

Theo smiles, shaking Liam’s hand. It’s warm in his own and sends another flutter through his stomach. Eventually they drop their hands but their smiles never leave their faces. Not even when their families come over and tell them they need to ride some rides. They convince their parents to stick together so they can go on rides together. It’s easy enough to do.

It turns out Liam is also staying at Fort Wilderness with his family just a few campsites down from Theo’s. Theo tries not to think of words like _fate_ and _destiny_. But it’s hard not to. How can he have met someone as amazing as Liam and have him be so close to where they’re staying? The two spend a lot of time together after that. Liam’s also staying there for a few weeks so they have time to just hang out, sometimes just going to the pool and talking. There’s not a rush to get to the parks when they have all this time. They still go a lot though. Their families get along thankfully so they usually wind up going together.

It’s during Liam’s last night at Disney that he pulls Theo away from everyone else to watch the fireworks. Theo doesn’t understand at first, until he does. Liam looks at him, studying his face as the fireworks light up the sky. Then he’s leaning in, slowly, giving Theo the opportunity to move away. There’s nerves wracking through Theo but he finds he doesn’t want to.

Liam kisses Theo with the fireworks lighting up the sky around them. It’s soft and chaste, neither of them having much experience. It’s also Theo’s first kiss. He doesn’t tell Liam that but he thinks Liam knows. It’s just soft brushes of lips but Theo thinks it’s perfect. He knows he’s going to remember this moment forever.

All too soon Liam is a pulling away, a shy smile on his face. He rests his head on Theo’s shoulder, arm linked through his, as they watch the rest of the fireworks. When the fireworks end people immediately start filing out but they wait. They sit there just enjoying the other’s company, both knowing that when they leave this is it. They’ll leave the park, get on the boat to go back to the campsites, and then have to say their goodbyes. Tomorrow Liam would be gone.

Eventually they have to walk back towards the front of their park. They untangle from each other but still walk close together as they make their way back down Main Street. It’s only Liam’s Mom Jenna that stands there waiting, apparently everyone else had went back to the campsite before the fireworks even started.

“Sorry for making you wait,” Theo tells Jenna, giving her an apologetic smile.

Jenna just gives them both an understanding smile, “It’s okay dear. I know this is our last night here so you’re both a little sad and needed some time.”

They both nod, trailing a bit behind Jenna as she makes her way out of the park. The ride on the boat back to the campsite seems to be shorter than Theo ever remembers it. Probably because he wants it to take it’s time, wanting to keep Liam by his side as long as he can.

They say their goodbye’s outside Liam’s campsite. Jenna offers to drive him back to his own but Theo declines. It’s not far, he can walk. He just wants a little bit more time alone with Liam. They stare at each other, tears in both of their eyes as they swing their joined hands between them.

“You’re going to write me?” Liam asks, words coming out a little hoarse.

“Of course,” Theo breathes, “and I’ll call when I can.”

Liam nods, “We’ll have to make a schedule. You know, so we can make sure we’re always home when the other calls.”

“Yeah,” Theo says, looking down at their joined hands. He’s starting to feel emotional. He hates the thought of Liam leaving. Of him going somewhere far away and not knowing when they’re going to see each other again. He looks up at Liam to see his own eyes red and wet spots on his cheeks. Theo sucks in a breath and uses their joined hands to pull Liam in for a hug.

“I’ll miss you so much,” Theo whispers, words fanning out across Liam’s hair.

“I’ll miss you too,” Liam murmurs, tucking his face into Theo’s neck.

He’s not sure how long they stand there but it’s long enough for Jenna to peak her head out and tell Liam he needs to come in. Liam sighs, pulling back from Theo. His eyes search Theo’s face and then he’s leaning in and kissing him again. He’s pulling back before Theo can even kiss him back and turning around and walking towards the camper.

He stops with his hand on the door handle, glancing over at Theo, “We will see each other again.”

Theo nods, finding it hard to force the words out through the tears but he does. Because he needs to. “Yeah we will. I’ll wait for you Liam.”

He doesn’t know what makes him say it. He doesn’t even know what it _mean_ s, not really. Liam just looks at him, gaze far too understanding as he whispers, “me too” before slipping inside.

Theo stares at the door for a moment before realizing it’s not going to open again. Liam’s just on the other side but he already feels so far away. Theo’s legs feel like lead as he walks the short distance back to his campsite. He cries himself to sleep that night, trying his best to keep quiet. He must not do a very good job because Tara winds up wrapping herself around Theo, tucking her face into his neck.

“I know,” she whispers, “I know. I’ll miss them too.”

 

They move again after that, shortly before the new school year starts. Theo is honestly tired of it. He knows how it goes by now. He moves some place new, makes friends and gets comfortable, only to be uprooted again. He tries to keep his distance and not talk to many people but it’s harder here.

There’s a kid named Corey that seems to want to be his friend. Theo isn’t sure what to make of it. The kid is loud to Theo’s quiet. Everyone seems to love Corey. He’s bubbly and happy and just a joy to be around. It would be impossible for Theo to deny him when he so clearly wants to be his friend. What he doesn’t understand is why.

Corey just laughs when Theo asks him why, “Because you don’t seem to care about all of this… this popularity stuff. It’s a new school for you and you could have chose anyone to be your friend. And you decided not to pick anyone. So I picked you.”

“Because you felt sorry for me?”

“No,” Corey shakes his head, “Because I envy you actually. I wish I could care less about what people think of me. And you seem pretty cool. You’re quiet where I’m loud. We could probably balance each other out.”

Theo can’t deny he has a point so he shrugs, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. You want to be friends then we’ll be friends,” Theo says.

“Awesome,” Corey beams over at him. “Then you’re coming to stay with me this weekend. We’ll have to take the bus home after school because my parents work but it’ll be fun.”

“I’ll have to ask my parents first,” Theo tells him. “But if they say yes, I will.”

“That’s easy,” Corey says, waving him off. “I’ll just have my Mom talk to yours.”

It’s not that hard to convince his parents to let him go stay with Corey for the weekend. His Mom works a lot anyway. He takes the bus home with Corey and his sister Natalie after school on Friday. They walk over to greet their parents at their office first. Apparently Corey’s parents own a company where they sell mobile homes, it’s been passed down to his Dad from his parents.

It’s nice spending time with Corey’s family. They’re all really close and despite arguing sometimes he can tell it’s lighthearted and that deep down they care about each other. Their life is so much different than Theo’s. He thinks it reminds him a little bit of Liam’s. Well not really. Theo can tell Corey’s parents have a little bit of a drinking problem but they’re not mean drunks like some people can be. But they love each other.

The closest thing he has to that is Tara. She’s his real family. She’s the only one he has to worry about. She seems to be doing great in their new school though. She’s always been able to easily make friends whereas Theo likes to stay back. He always feels like he has to be on his guard, which is why he stays quiet and watches more than anything. The only person he didn’t feel like he had to do that with besides Tara was Liam. He doesn’t know why it was so easy to talk to the boy but it was. It’s as if they were meant to know each other.

Thinking of Liam has Theo missing him again. He glances over to where Corey is sleeping on the other side of the bed, checking that he’s asleep before quietly slipping out of the bed. He grabs some paper and a pen off Corey’s desk and then slips out of the room. Luckily no one is awake so he’s able to slip into the kitchen where he sits at the table. The light above the stove is on offering him at least a little light to see with.

He holds the pen above the paper and tries to think of what he wants to say. There’s so much but at the same time he’s not sure how to put it into words. Finally he sighs and just starts writing.

 

_Dear Liam,_

_Hey! How are you? Is that weird to ask? I’m not used to writing letters so I have no idea what I’m doing. You’re going to have to forgive me if this gets weird or rambly._

_So I changed schools again. I don’t even know why I’m surprised. I went to like 5 different schools for just kindergarten before they decided to hold me back. The they is probably my parents. We moved a lot back then. At least until I went to live with my grandparents for a few years. They’re dead now though. And this just got dark. Sorry._

_Anyway, my point is that I just started at my new school a few weeks ago. It’s not bad. I already made a new friend named Corey. He’s pretty cool. I’m at his house right now actually. It’s almost midnight but I couldn’t sleep so I snuck out here to write you. I’ve just been thinking about how before I met you the only person I ever really talked to was Tara. It all makes me wish that since I’m having to start over anyway that I could just do it in California with you. I hope that’s not too weird. I just liked spending time with you. I hate that we had so little of it._

_I don’t really know what else to say. I do hope to hear from you Liam. Maybe you can tell me a little bit about yourself? What you’re into?_

_I’ll start it off. I’m Theo Raeken and I’m gay. I wasn’t certain until I saw you actually. I saw you standing by the water and I couldn’t help but think about how beautiful you are. You’ve made me feel things no one else has made me feel before. I know we’re still young and I’m not declaring my undying love for you or anything. That would be weird. I’m just saying that I like you. I like the way you make me feel._

_I also have a pretty big love of music. Maybe I should have started with that rather than delving into the I’m gay thing? Oh well. I’ve been listening to a lot of Linkin Park’s ‘Hybrid Theory’ lately. Corey got me into it. He’s the type of person that has music playing while he sleeps I guess and he has it playing in his room right now, and also listens to it a lot at school. I had to take some of the money I had saved and go buy it because he got me hooked. I’m also really into the self-titled Good Charlotte album. It’s good. You should listen to Change. (;_

_So if this hasn’t scared you off… I’d love to know more about you. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Missing you,_

_Xoxo Theo_

 

Theo jumps when the light to the kitchen flips on and Corey’s Mom Nancy is standing there. She glances at him before heading to the cabinet and pulling out 2 glasses.

“Is everything alright Theo?” she asks, grabbing water out of the fridge and filling up both glasses before handing one to Theo.

“Fine,” he tells her, smiling his thanks as he takes the glass from her. “I was just having trouble sleeping.”

She nods, “I imagine it’s hard to sleep in somewhere that’s not familiar.”

Theo shrugs, “Not really. We’ve moved around a lot so I’m used to it.”

“Then what has you up so late?” She asks, taking a sip of her water.

“I was just thinking,” he says, eyes flicking down to the letter. “About my friend Liam. I met him over the summer but he lives in California.”

“So you wrote him a letter?” He nods and she smiles. “That’s nice of you. I’m sure he’ll be excited to hear from you.”

“I hope so,” Theo mumbles.

Nancy gives Theo a long look before standing up and taking her now empty glass to the sink. She pauses before she walks out of the room, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “I’m here if you ever need to talk. About _anything_.”

He looks at her with wide eyes, afraid that somehow she figured it all out. Even if she had she doesn’t seem upset or angry about it. If anything, her face is showing nothing but kindness and understanding.

All he can do is nod and give her a small, hesitant smile. “Thank you.”

 

Theo wishes he could say he mailed the letter and then forgot about it. That’s not what happens. He _can’t_ stop thinking about it, his mind agonizes over it for days. He can’t stop wondering if it got to Liam alright, or if Liam was put off by something he said. He’s so preoccupied he gets weird looks from everyone. The only one that doesn’t look at him weird is Tara, and he knows that’s because she sent a letter if her own to Lyana.

He runs to the mailbox every day after school, knowing the mail will still be there because his parents never check it themselves. Theo’s grateful for that now. He doesn’t know why but he doesn’t want to have to explain Liam to them. Sure they know Liam. They spent weeks with his family. It wouldn’t be weird to write him. But this feels personal. Something that for now is just between him and Liam, and well he guesses Tara.

It’s a little over a week after he sends the letter that he opens the mailbox to see an envelope addressed to him, with Liam’s name as the return address. There’s also another one under it addressed to Tara from Lyana. Theo grins and closes the mailbox, making sure to tuck the letters into his backpack before running up towards the house.

Mike is on the couch when he walks in, watching TV like he always does. He glances at Theo as he enters the house. “Have homework?”

Theo nods, placing the mail on the table before heading into the kitchen to grab something to drink and a snack. “I have a book to finish reading for English.”

Mike barely looks at him, his attention once again on the TV. “Well then get it done before you do anything else.”

“Yes sir,” Theo says, not sparing the man another glance before walking back to his room. He smiles when he sees Snowy sleeping on his bed. He sets his food down on the end table by his bed before flopping down next to her. She offers a small meow before closing her eyes and going back to sleep.

Theo quickly opens his bag and pulls out his letter from Liam, anxious to see what he had to say. His eyes practically devour the letter, taking in the words and the sloppy scrawl on the page. He can’t help but smiles as he reads the words.

 

_Theo,_

_Boy was it nice to hear from you. I’d spent weeks wondering if I should write you. I didn’t want to write while you were still at Disney and seem like some overeager weirdo. I also knew there was a chance you’d be moving again so I wanted to wait for you to write when you were settled in and ready. I hope you are? Not ready, you’re clearly ready to write. I mean, I hope you’re settling in fine? I know it must suck having to move houses so much._

_On that note… I wish you could have moved to Beacon Hills to go to school with me too. Though that is a bit of a journey from Illinois don’t you think? I still hope one day you can make it here or I can make it there. I already miss you. Is that weird? It’s only been a few weeks, I know but I can’t stop thinking about you. I wish the trip hadn’t had to end and that we could have stayed at Disney. At least we have pictures. I didn’t know how many you had so I attached some my Mom took while we were there._

_You certainly did get right to it with the gay thing, huh? That’s great that you feel sure enough about it to admit it, even if it is just to me. Honestly, I’d never really thought of another boy like that until I met you. But the moment my eyes landed on you in the restaurant I knew. Not that I was gay necessarily because I still like girls. Maybe I like both? I do know I like you Theo, a lot. I’m sad that you live so far away that we can’t figure all this out together. I guess we’ll always have someday._

_I **love**_ _music. My Mom got me into it when I was little. She’s a huge Weezer fan. That’s actually where she met David. She couldn’t see in the pit so he let her stand in front of him or something like that. Either way they hit it off and wound up going out to dinner and now they’re married. She keeps telling me I had my own moment. Whatever that means. I thinks she thinks we’re going to get married or something, which is weird. Not that I’m completely against the idea, it’s just I’m only in the 6th grade. Maybe this is a little soon to be thinking about marriage._

_Anyway, I have heard the Linkin Park album and I love it. I have been listening to it a lot more since you mentioned it. My Mom asked if I was already going through my angry teenager face despite the fact that I’m not even a teenager. I think she likes the album too though. I caught her listening to it in the kitchen last night. I also listened to the Good Charlotte album. Another great choice Theo. Especially that song Change. It’s nice. I think you need something with a little more hope, don’t you? Can I suggest: Day and Night by Billie Piper, I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack, and Wonderwall by Oasis?_

_As to what I’m into… well I just told you I like music. But I’m also into sports. Dad’s been helping me out with lacrosse so that maybe I can get on the team now while I’m in middle school so I’ll have a better shot at making the team once I move on to high school. Mom’s scared about it, saying I don’t need something else that could make me angry. But honestly, lacrosse helps me channel that anger._

_Now you’re probably wondering what this whole anger thing is, so I should probably tell you. I have what’s called Intermittent Explosive Disorder or IED. I was diagnosed with it a few years ago. I have no control over it when it happens. One moment I can be fine and the next I’m completely losing it. When it’s happening the anger feels justified but once it’s done… well let’s just say I’m always left feeling guilty. I’m on medication and it helps. There are still times when I catch myself snapping at people but it’s not as often or as bad as it was. I still doubt it’ll ever go away. I hate it. I don’t want to be stuck dealing with this for the rest of my life._

_Now I should be the one worrying about scaring you off. I certainly went a little overboard with the explaining, didn’t I? If you’re not completely freaked out I hope that you’ll write me back soon. Maybe let me get a little more insight into who you are. You already told me about your love of music, but what else are you into? What makes Theo Raeken tick?_

_Hang in there. I miss you. Hope to hear from you soon._

_XoXo Liam_

 

He pulls the pictures that Liam had included out of the envelope and starts flipping through them. Some of them he remembers being taken, like the ones with the characters or in front of the castle. Others he had no idea Jenna was even taking. The first one like that is the first day he met Liam and it’s of the two of them standing side by side looking out over the water. The next one is of them watching the parade together. There’s a few more like that but the last two have his breath catching.

One is of their kiss, the fireworks lighting up the sky behind them. The other is right after with Liam’s head resting on Theo’s shoulder as the two of them watch the fireworks. He had no idea Jenna had been there but she had. She _knew_. She knew and not only didn’t she care but she’d taken pictures and given them to Liam to send. He didn’t seem phased, at least not enough to comment on the picture. Theo doesn’t feel nervous or anything, more relief. All he can think is that Liam’s Mom really is awesome.

Theo reads through the letter two more times before pulling out a pen and piece of paper and immediately writing out a reply. His head is swirling with what he just read. Liam likes him? He’s into music as well and likes Linkin Park. And he’d told Theo some songs to listen to. Theo’s heard the last two before but not the first.

Theo goes over to his computer and boots it up. He hears Tara entering the house while it’s still turning on. When he’s sure she’s coming down the hall he opens his door a crack and smiles at her.

“I have something for you,” he whispers.

Tara raises an eyebrow but enters his room, closing the door behind her. “Why Theo, are you getting on your computer without finishing your homework?”

“Shush. I got a letter from Liam that I had to read. And you,” he pulls Lyana’s letter out of his bag and hands it over. “You got a letter from Lyana.”

Her eyes widen as she takes the letter from Theo and examines the envelope. She looks up at him with a grin, “What did Liam have to say?”

He feels himself blushing under her gaze, “Just... things. He talked about his love for music and gave me some songs to listen to.”

“Love songs?” She teases.

“Shut up,” he mutters, turning away from her to hide the letter under his pillow.

“Hey,” Tara says, lightly grabbing his arm. She waits until he’s looking at her before speaking. “It’s okay if you like him, T. You know that, right?”

Theo nods, giving her a small smile. “I know. Just like it’s okay for you to like Lyana.”

“Yeah,” she sighs, glancing towards the door before looking back at Theo. There’s look of grim determination on her face. “You need to remember it’s okay. He makes you happy T. I can see that. So you need to hold onto that. No one can take that away from you. _No one_.”

Theo can only nod again, a little thrown by the fierceness of her words. He listens to her though. He keeps writing Liam whenever he can, always feeling the same giddiness whenever he gets a letter. Tara keeps getting letters from Lyana as well. Theo can already tell it’s different for her than it is for him. She often spends hours on the phone talking to Lyana. One time he walked by in time to see her giggle and fall back onto the pillows with a happy smile on her face.

It’s not that he doesn’t get excited when he’s able to talk to Liam, either through letters or on the phone. He just knows Tara is older so whatever she has going on with Lyana is a little more serious. He doesn’t realize how serious until about 7 months into it all he hears her telling Lyana she loves her before getting off the phone.

She just smiles when she sees him standing in the door and tells him one day he’ll understand before handing the phone over for him to talk to Liam. He’s a little distracted on the phone that night and Liam can tell.

“What’s going on with you?” Liam asks.

Theo is silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to phrase his question. “Do you think you’ll ever fall in love?”

His question is followed by more silence. For a moment he’s afraid he asked the wrong thing and freaked Liam out. Then Liam is speaking, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah. At least I hope so. Why?”

“No reason,” Theo says. He hates lying but he also doesn’t want to be the one to tell Liam about Lyana. If Liam’s going to know it’ll be because she wants him to. “I just wonder how someone would know they’re in love, that’s all.”

Liam laughs, “Theo. You’re 14. I think we’re both a little young to be thinking about falling in love, don’t you?”

Theo wants to disagree. He wants to say there are probably people out there that knew they were in love with someone at their age and had it last. But he doesn’t. That would give things away. He doesn’t know why it’s a big deal. It’s not as if he thinks he _loves_ Liam. Not yet. He knows one day he probably could though.

“Yeah,” Theo says instead. “We have more important things to focus on anyway. Like you’re lacrosse tryouts that are coming up.”

Liam groans and starts talking about how nervous he is and that’s that. Topic changed. Theo still finds himself wandering about it from time to time. He can’t help it. He thinks about his relationship with Liam a lot. They’d kissed at Disney and told each other they liked the other but other than that, nothing. Maybe Liam’s right and they are too young. Maybe he should focus on other things instead.

It’s nearing the end of the school year now and Theo has that worry that his parents will try and make them move. They haven’t mentioned it or anything but that worry will probably always be there. They moved too often for him not to be worried. Tara doesn’t seem to be worried though. It’s as if she’s let herself believe this time they’ll actually stay here. As much as Theo wishes he was in Beacon Hills with Liam part of him can’t help but hope he gets to stay here in this small town in Southern Illinois. He has friends and he actually likes it here. He likes having a friend like Corey. The only thing that’s missing is Liam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day.<3  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I attempted making a playlist for this chapter but then I gave up when I remembered just how great the music from 2003 was. I referenced Weezer's _The Green Album,_ Good Charlotte's _The Young And The Hopeless,_ Evanescence's _Fallen,_ and *NSYNC's _Celebrity_ in the chapter.  
> [Imaginary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVHXJ9SUuM) by Evanescence was used at the end of the chapter

_Dear Liam,_

_Can you believe it’s almost been a year since we met each other? It seems a little surreal. It feels like almost no time has passed but at the same time I feel as though I’ve known you forever._

_Happy Birthday, by the way. I know it’s a little early but I wanted to make sure you got this before you left. I got Tara to help me pay to ship it to you. She slipped something in there for Lyana too. Now we can wear matching ones when we see each other. It can’t get here soon enough. I’ve been counting down the days. Really, I have. Tara keeps making fun of me because I made a countdown in my school planner. She uses it too though. I know she’s just as excited to see Lyana as I am to see you. God they’re probably going to be so gross when they see each other. I’ll give you your real present when I see you by the way. (;_

_Mom said I should start trying to find some warm clothes to bring. Isn’t that a little crazy? It’s the end of June. Why should I have to bring a sweater? But apparently it gets cold and sometimes snows up there, even in the summer. I hope you have some warm clothes. I imagine you have less than I do since you live somewhere where it’s usually warm. I’ll make sure to pack an extra hoodie just in case._

_I’m glad the school year is done. It wasn’t bad this year. I think it was just nice staying in one place and not moving around. Having Corey around definitely helped. I can’t wait for you to meet him. I think you’re going to love him. And I can’t wait to meet Mason finally! You’ve talked about him enough that I feel as if I know him already but it’ll be nice to finally meet him in person._

_Obviously I’m mostly excited to see you again. It’s been too long. Writing letters and talking on the phone is nice but I want to see your face in something over than a picture. I miss you._

_See you soon,  
Theo x_

 

Liam smiles when he reads over the letter. It really is a little surreal that he’s known Theo going on a year now. He can’t believe it. A year ago he had no idea who Theo even was and now he’s one of the most important people in his life. He has his family and Mason, sure. But Theo is… he’s different. Liam has known that since the moment they met. Since the moment he set eyes on him really.

Liam had been so embarrassed being dragged around that restaurant by the back of his chair while everyone sang happy birthday to him. He still was after that but for a different reason. Seeing Theo had sparked something inside of him and it only grew the more time they spent together. He couldn't deny that he felt something for the other boy. He’s just happy that Theo seems to feel it right back.

Of course he had to talk to Mason about it as soon as he got home. Mason had come to him the year before telling Liam that he’s pretty sure he’s gay because he has absolutely no interest in girls and that the way most boys their age think about girls is how he thinks about boys. Liam had just shrugged, told him that he loved him and that he was still his best friend regardless, and went back to playing video games. That had been that. He hadn’t told Mason anything then because he didn’t know, not enough to make a big confession out of it.

Now he’s pretty certain. He’d talked to his Mom about it after Mason and that’s when she’d given him the pictures she took and told him that she knew. She’d hugged him and told him she loved him and was proud of him. And then promptly launched into a talk he’s still not sure he was ready to hear.

He knows he likes boys, especially Theo, but he’s not sure he’s anywhere near ready to do some of the things she was referring to. Not at all. Not for a while now. Even when he is ready Theo’s still all the way in Illinois and he’s here in California. Which is another thing all together. He’s going to be turning 14 in a few weeks. Is he supposed to be basing his whole life around Theo? Part of him wants to say yes but another part of him is scared. Not of Theo but of how big this whole thing feels already.

Still, no matter what this is Liam can’t deny that he’s ready to see Theo again. The letters and phone calls have been nice but he’s ready to see him in person. To see his smile, hear his voice and his laugh, to _kiss him_. That last one gives him pause. It’s not as if he hasn’t thought about kissing Theo again, because he has. A lot actually. He’s lost count of the amount of times he’s zoned out thinking about Theo, wondering what it would be like to kiss him again, if it would be different now that they’re a little older.

He also can’t deny the effect thinking of Theo has on his body. He feels a little weird about it. He know he’s not ready for sex but his body seems to have different ideas. The last time he’d been on the phone with Theo, Theo had let out a groan of frustration and well… parts of Liam had definitely taken interest. He tries not to think of it too much. It was bound to happen eventually but he’s still a kid… he shouldn’t be thinking about that sort of thing. Should he?

Liam falls back onto his bed with a groan. He looks up at the sound of a knock on his door to see David standing there. “Everything alright son?”

Liam sighs, throwing an arm across his face, “I don’t know.”

He feels the bed dip next to his legs letting him know that David has sat down, “Is it Theo?”

His parents always seem to think it’s Theo. To be fair they’re not often wrong. He does think about Theo a lot. But this is more than that. And he’s not exactly sure how or if he should broach the subject. Then again, if anyone could help it might be David. As awkward as it probably will be for both of them.

“It is and it isn’t,” he says, moving his arm to look at David. “I’ve just been… experiencing _things_ and I’m not sure if they’re normal.”

“Things?” David asks, moving until he’s settled back against the headboard next to Liam. “What sort of things?”

“With my body,” God Liam is already blushing and he hasn’t even really said anything. “And how it reacts to certain things. Like Theo.”

“Ah,” David says, clearing his throat. “I see. Well I can assure you that you are coming to an age where your body will start… reacting to certain things. It’s perfectly normal. Sometimes it happens for no reason at all.”

“So it doesn’t mean anything if it usually happens when I think of Theo?”

“I didn’t say that,” David says, “You like Theo. You already know you’re attracted to him and have feelings for him, right? So of course your body would catch up with that.”

“But I’m not even fourteen,” Liam mumbles, pulling at a thread on his blanket absentmindedly, “I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.”

“That’s okay too,” David tells him, the calmness of his voice easing some of the tension in Liam’s shoulders. “Sometimes our bodies want something and our mind isn’t quite on the same page. Especially when we’re young and still getting used to feeling certain things. Just because you get… aroused doesn’t mean you have to act on those things. In fact, most of the time you won’t until the time is right. It’s okay to want to wait Liam. In fact, since you are still young it’s probably best that you do.”

Liam lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “Okay good. Because some of the boys at school have started trying things and they make me feel like I should be doing it too.”

“Liam,” David says, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, _ever_. I don’t care what the other kids are doing, if there is ever anything you don’t feel like doing, don’t. Don’t ever let anyone try to pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable with, okay? And if you’re ever with anyone and they start doing something and you don’t want to be there you can call me or your mother and we’ll come and get you, alright? I don’t care how old you are.”

“Thanks Dad,” Liam says, giving his Dad a small smile.

“Anytime son,” David pats Liam’s leg and stands up. “Did that help or did I just make things more awkward?”

Liam chuckles, “I think it helped? I feel a lot better at least.”

David nods, “Good. Now I’m going to go see if your mother needs help with anything.”

“Anything to get out of an awkward conversation,” Liam jokes.

David shakes his head, his lips twitching up into a smile, “Are you telling me you didn’t find it awkward?”

“Oh I found it immensely awkward,” Liam tells him, “But it helped.”

“What helped?” Lyana asks, popping her head into Liam’s room.

“Oh Liam just had some questions about boys,” David says.

Lyana quirks an eyebrow, “And he came to you?”

“What? You don’t think I can help him?”

“I just don’t know what you could know about dating boys,” Lyana says, leaning against the wall with as easy grin on her face. “Unless you’re holding out on us Dad.”

“There is a lot you don’t know about me,” David says, his heart rate accelerating slightly.

Lyana and Liam share a look before Lyana smirks, “You’re nervous. You’re heart just sped up.”

“Stop that. Both of you. This isn’t a conversation we’re going to have now.”

“Now?” Liam asks, “So you did date guys?”

“I may have in college, yes,” David says, inching his way towards the door. “I never gave you any reason to assume I didn’t.”

“Does Mom know?”

“She does. Just like I know about her.”

“Wait…” Lyana says, a look of pure joy taking over her face. “Oh my god, Mom was into girls?”

“I wouldn’t say _was_ when I’m still very much attracted to women,” Jenna says, joining Lyana by the door. “Now why are we suddenly talking about everyone’s sexuality?”

“I was just wondering why Dad was qualified to give Liam a talk about boys. But now I know. He clearly has experience in the area.”

The conversation continues. Liam tries to listen but his mind drifts elsewhere. He suddenly has so many things he wants to say to Theo and he wishes he was alone to write him back. He’s not about to be a jerk and kick his family out of his room, no matter how much he wants to.

“Liam,” Jenna says, drawing his attention back to her. “Are you alright?”

Liam nods, “Yeah. I was just thinking.”

“About _Theo_ ,” Lyana sings, laughing when Liam throws a pillow at her. “It’s okay Liam. Tara says Theo is just as bad when it comes to thinking about you.”

“I’m glad Theo came up,” Jenna says, moving until she’s sitting on the edge of Liam’s bed. Her face had turned serious. Liam has a pretty good idea what this is about. “Have you gave any thought to telling him?”

Liam sighs, “I have. I just… I don’t think it’s a good time. And it’s not exactly something I can say over the phone or in a letter.”

“Yeah telling the boy you’re completely enamored with that you’re a werewolf is probably best done in person,” Lyana says.

“It is. Just like you’d probably be better off telling Tara in person.”

“Touché,” Lyana says, giving him a mock salute. “We should leave him to writing his love letters Mom.”

Jenna sighs, putting a hand on Lyana’s back and leading her towards the door, mumbling something about being nice to her brother.

Liam flips over onto his stomach and pulls out his notebook and a pen. He doesn’t care that he’s going to be seeing Theo soon, he needs to write to him. He lets the sound of Weezer’s _The Green Album_ fill the room as he writes. He’ll have to ask Theo about song and album suggestions on the phone before they leave. Knowing that he could be listening to the same thing Theo is while they’re on the way to the same place makes him feel a little giddy. The whole time Liam is writing all he can think is: _Soon. I’m going to be seeing Theo soon._

  
***

  
Theo grins when he opens the mailbox and sees a letter from Liam. He hadn’t been expecting one, at least not so soon after he sent his own. Especially not knowing they were going to be seeing each other so soon. _Just a few more days_ , his mind supplies.

That thought makes him grin wider. He grabs the letter and all but runs into the house and back to his room. No one else is home. Tara is out with friends and his parents are out of town so he has the house to himself for tonight. He flops down on the bed and tears open the letter.

 

_Dear Theo,_

_I know it’s a little surreal that we’ve known each other a year. It honestly feels like it’s been longer. Thanks for the shirt and the birthday wishes. I loved the shirt and am looking forward to matching you. But what I’m looking forward to the most is seeing you again. I can’t wait to see what else you got me. I’m sure it’s great. But really, getting to see you again is the only present I need._

_...that was sappy wasn’t it? I feel like it was. But what can I say? You bring out the sap in me. I can show you just how much here soon._

_Okay so what really prompted me to write is that I had an interesting talk with my Dad. I don’t even know if I should say what the conversation started with. Let’s just say I had some questions about the body and it lead to an awkward conversation with Dad. Which then lead to the revelation that not only is he bi but so is Mom. Which means Lyana is probably the only one that is a complete lesbian. Not that Dad or I could be… but you know what I mean. At least I hope you do. Because I don’t think I could explain. God okay I’ll stop this topic now._

_Believe it or not I do own a sweater, but I wouldn’t mind wearing one of yours. Maybe we could switch (;_

_Mason is stoked to be meeting you as well. He won’t shut up about it. I’m apologizing in advance if he says anything too embarrassing. I can’t wait to meet Corey finally. He seems like a cool guy. I just hope he gets along with Mason because I’m sorry to say at some point they might be hanging out together by themselves because I need some alone time with you. Now I’m realizing how that sounds, and that’s not what I meant. I just… I’ve missed you Theo. And it would be nice if we could spend some time together away from everyone else._

_Anyway, I’m gonna stop now before I ramble too much and scare you off before I even see you again. I’ll be calling soon. I need music recommendations!_

_XO Liam_

 

Theo feels a little winded after the letter. There’s so much he wants to think about and react to but the one thing his mind focuses on is that Liam wants to be alone with him. And he’d had an awkward conversation with his Dad which had led to him revealing he’s bi. There’s only one thing they could have been talking about. He really needs to talk to Tara.

Since she’s not home Theo spends his time coming up with some music recommendations for Liam. He’ll have to be calling soon. Theo’s due to leave the day after tomorrow since it’s a long drive. He thinks about what he plans to bring with him for the trip and decides that’s a good place to start.

Tara arrives home an hour later. She smiles and leans against the door to his room. It’s such a normal stance for her. Liam says Lyana does the same thing. He wonders if it’s a girl thing or a sister thing. Maybe both.

“What’s up kiddo?” Tara asks, probably able to see the tension in his shoulders.

Theo scrunches his face up at the name but doesn’t comment on it. He needs to talk to her and starting an argument will only deter that. He chews on his pen ad he debates how to go about this.

“I think Liam wants to have sex,” Theo says, eyes widening after the words leave his mouth. That hadn’t been what he planned to say. Well he _had_ , but he’d planned to ease into it not just blurt it out.

Tara closes his bedroom door and runs over and jumps on the bed next to him, “What? What makes you think that? Has he asked you? Because you both are still too young and if he’s trying to pressure you I’ll kick his ass. I don’t care if he is my girlfriend’s brother.”

“What? No! He’s not trying to pressure me into anything,” Theo assures her. “He didn’t even say anything about it. He just…”

Theo sighs and begrudgingly holds the letter out for Tara to read. He hates offering up something personal but he needs her to understand and he can’t say it out loud without making it sound worse.

“Which part?” Tara asks.

Theo lets out a breath, feeling grateful she at least respects his privacy enough to ask what part of the letter is safe to read rather than diving in and reading the whole thing.

“Here,” he points to the part he hopes will explain it.

She reads it over and then looks up at Theo expectantly. Theo sighs and then points to another part of the letter. “He said he wants to be alone with me.”

“Well of course he does,” Tara says, “You two haven’t seen each other in almost a year. He must miss you as much as you miss him. Of course he wants to spend time alone with you. Don’t you want that?”

Theo thinks about it and realizes she’s right. Of course he wants time alone with Liam away from everyone else so they can be able to just be themselves. “Yeah I do. I was overreacting, wasn’t I?”

Tara smiles, “Just a bit. But it’s okay. This is your first relationship. You’re still figuring everything out.”

Theo wants to point out that they’ve never actually discussed it so he has no idea if he’s in a relationship with Liam or not. He knows he wants to be. Instead he says, “Does it ever get any easier?”

Tara gives him a sad smile, patting his knee. “Unfortunately it just gets harder. Love hurts T. But it’s worth it. When you find the person that makes you happier than anyone else, that you can’t imagine yourself being with any other person, you’ll know what I mean.”

“What if I already have?” Theo asks, trying to ignore the way his stomach twists into knots at the thought. He knows he’s young and still has a lot to learn but he wants to learn it with Liam. Even if that’s not realistic. Partly because they live so far apart.

Tara just keeps smiling as she wraps an arm around his shoulders and places a kiss to the top of his head. “Then you hold on to it Theo. Hold on as hard as you can.”

“Is that what you’re doing with Lyana?”

“You’re damn right I am,” she whispers.

 ***

Theo jumps up for what feels like the thousandth time when the phone rings early the next afternoon. He checks the caller ID and grins when he sees the familiar number.

“Hey Liam,” Theo says, words coming out a little breathless.

“Hey Theo,” Liam replies, the sound of his voice sending butterflies flying through his stomach.

“I umm… I got your letter,” Theo rubs the back of his neck, hating how he feels suddenly nervous.

“Oh great! That’s actually why I was calling!”

Theo’s heart speeds up as he tries to figure out which part of the letter Liam could want to talk about, “It was?”

“Yeah,” Liam’s voice is a little muffled and then there’s the sound of things being shuffled around before his voice comes back clearer. “About the music suggestions? I was hoping you could tell me what you plan to listen to. I umm… I kinda want to listen to what you are on the way there? It’ll make it feel like we’re together even if we’re not.”

Theo grins. They’re on the same page then. “You should have told me sooner and I would have made you a mixtape.”

“Oh,” Liam breathes, then clears his throat. “Well I mean you can still make me one. If you want to. I’d like that. It won’t get to me before I leave. But I’d like it. It might help…”

“Help?”

“Help me miss you less when we’re apart,” Liam says, “or it could make me miss you more. Either way I’d love it because it came from you.”

Theo feels giddy at the thought of making Liam a mixtape. Not just making him one but Liam wanting him to make one.

“I can do that. Yeah. And umm… maybe you could make me one? If you want to that is.”

There’s a soft chuckle down the line that has his insides twisting in a whole new way. “I can definitely do that.”

“So for now let me just tell you about what I have picked out to bring with me alright?” Theo picks up the list he’d made the day before. “So first we have Good Charlotte’s _The Young and the Hopeless_ because you know how I feel about that album. It’s amazing.”

“It is, “Liam agrees, “and I actually own that one so that’s good. What’s next?”

“Next is _Fallen_ by Evanescence. It’s phenomenal. I think you’ll love it if you haven’t heard it yet.”

“That’s the one… they have the song Bring Me To Life right?”

Theo nods, then remembers Liam can’t see him. He hates that phones don’t come with a camera so that he could not just talk to but see Liam. Maybe one day. For now he’ll just have to deal.

“Yeah that’s the one. The whole album is great. I’d especially listen to Imaginary.”

“Fallen by Evanescence, but especially Imaginary. Got it. Next?”

Theo pauses, staring down at his paper as he wonders if he should say the next one. He’s bringing it but does he want Liam to know that? He’s silent for so long that Liam speaks again, “Theo? You still there?”

“Yeah,” Theo says, hands clenching around the paper. “I have more but those are the main two so…”

“Theo,” Liam sighs, “what are you hiding? Whatever else you have on the list I promise I won’t make fun of you. You’ve heard some of my music that I’m into.”

He has a point. So Theo takes a deep breath and says the words, “ _Celebrity_ by *NSYNC.”

There’s a beat of silence and then Liam is speaking, “*NSYNC huh? You know I’ve always been more of a Backstreet Boys guy but for you I can change my ways and listen to *NSYNC. Just don’t tell Mom. She’d never let me live it down. She’s a diehard *NSYNC fan and has been trying to get me to listen to them for years.”

“You know I saw them live,” Theo finds himself saying, “we went to the Pop Odyssey Tour for Corey’s birthday.”

“For Corey’s birthday?” Liam asks, “I thought you were going to say Tara but this is even better. Actually you have to tell Mom. She’ll be so jealous.”

Theo talks to Liam on the phone for hours. They don’t really talk about anything. Mostly music and their friends and how they can’t wait to see each other. Theo is laying back on his bed with the phone resting between his shoulder and ear when Mike comes slamming into the house. He feels the breath leave him when he hears the sound of the phone clicking signaling that Mike has picked up the phone in the living room.

There’s a sigh and then another click before loud footsteps start down the hallway, “Theo! Get off the damn phone! Other people in this house need to use it, not just you!”

Theo wants to point out that there wasn’t anyone else in the house except for him until about a minute ago but he holds it back. There’s no point in starting a fight, especially not with Liam listening in.

“Yes sir,” Theo says then speaks to Liam, “I gotta go, okay? But I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“48 hours,” Liam says, a smile in his voice. “I can’t wait. Bye Theo.”

“Bye.”

Theo hangs up and turns to look at Mike who is still standing in the door, “I’m off.”

“Good,” Mike says. He still just stands there, phone hanging loosely in his hand.

“Did you need something?” Theo asks, trying to understand why he’d still just be standing there. Theo hasn’t done anything wrong, at least that he’s aware of.

Mike narrows his eyes at him, “You talk to Liam an awful lot.”

Theo feels his stomach twist, nerves overtaking him. He does his best to get a blank face and hopes that his words come out steady, “He’s my friend.”

“Corey’s your friend and you don’t talk to him that much,” Mike points out.

This Theo has an easy response to, “I see Corey almost every day at school and can talk to him there. Liam lives in California. The only way I can talk to him is on the phone.”

Mike grunts, gives him another look, and then leaves. Theo sits there holding his breath for what feels like hours but what realistically couldn’t be for more than a minute. He releases the breath when he hears Mike start speaking into the phone.

It doesn’t last long because then he’s screaming down the line at his Mom, once again threatening to come into her work and tell her boss off. He does it all the time. Theo knows better than to consider them empty threats. He knows Mike’s temper and wouldn’t put it past him. He’s done it before. He just hopes for his Mom’s sake, and all their sakes really, that he doesn't do it. She needs the job and they need the money.

Theo puts his headphones over his ears and puts _Fallen_ into the CD player. He falls asleep to the sound of Imaginary playing, wondering if Liam is listening to the same thing. He hopes that he is.

 _Don't say I'm out of touch_  
_With this rampant chaos your reality_  
_I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge_  
_The nightmare I built my own world to escape_

 

Thousands of miles away Liam has the same song playing, feeling an ache in his chest as he wonders just what Theo could be going through. He knows Theo is drawn to songs that fit in with his state of mind. This one is a perfect example of that. Liam’s aware of what a dick Mike can be, he’s heard his screaming through the phone before and has heard a little bit about what he’s like through Theo’s letters. He just hopes that he’s able to ease whatever worries or pain Theo is feeling a bit when they see each other. If only for a little bit he can give him some hope that things will get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day.<3  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay, first I know it's been 4 months since my last update but this chapter wound up being a lot harder than I thought it would be. Never doing a vacation chapter again. Hopefully the length of it makes up for the wait a bit.  
> I usually have a playlist for songs for the chapters but this one was more albums than anythings.  
> The Young and the Hopeless by Good Charlotte, Fallen by Evanescence, Celebrity by *NSYNC.
> 
> Specific songs used for people that like that:  
> [Hotel California](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNyK6EcHlzM) by The Eagles  
> [Dancing in the Street](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AjSezAsFRs) by the Mamas and the Papas  
> [Someone Like You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQBmMdeTF1o) by *NSYNC
> 
> This has not been beta read, so any mistakes are my own. If you see any please let me know and I'll get them fixed.

Theo feels a giddy sort of excitement when the day finally comes for him, his parents, Tara, and Corey to head off on their trip. They leave early, earlier than he’d normally get up. But Theo can’t be bothered to care. Not when he knows the sooner they leave here the sooner he’ll be seeing Liam.

Tara smiles at him over her seat in the van, “It’s okay little brother, I can’t wait to see them either.”

Theo grins back. He knows she can’t. She’s been almost as excited about this trip as he is. There were times when he had to beg her to get off the phone with Lyana so that he could talk to Liam. He really hopes that one day someone creates personal telephones because this whole sharing a phone thing is annoying.

It’s a long drive from their small town in Illinois to South Dakota. They wind up stopping after 10 hours in Sioux Falls. Another 5 hours and they’ll be at Mt. Rushmore and Theo will be reunited with Liam. He wants to keep going but he knows it’s unrealistic. Liam’s probably not even there yet. They hadn’t planned to meet up until the next day. Theo still hates it.

Theo hardly sleeps that night, tossing and turning on the thin mattress of the bed in the camper. Below him he hears Tara sigh, showing him that either she can’t sleep either or he’s keeping her awake. He’s better on the latter.

There’s movement from next to him and then Corey’s arm is slinging across his waist as he tucks his face against Theo’s neck, “You really need to sleep. You don’t want to be a zombie when you see Liam tomorrow.”

“I know,” Theo whispers back. “I’m just excited.”

“I know,” Corey mumbles, “Just try and sleep okay?”

He knows Corey is right and that he needs to be well rested for when he sees Liam tomorrow but his mind is constantly racing. It’s been so long since he saw him. Theo closes his eyes and begs sleep to take him. Bright smiles and blue eyes flash through Theo’s mind as he drifts off, knowing that in a few hours he’d be seeing Liam again.

***

“Up! We leave in half an hour!”

Theo slowly blinks his eyes open when he hears Mike’s shouting and stomping around the camper. The door opens and then slams shut again and Theo sighs. He feels Corey tighten his arm that’s still around Theo’s waist before pulling back.

“We should get dressed,” Corey says.

“I’m gonna run and shower real quick,” Theo says, sitting up and grabbing some clothes and his toiletries out of his bag before opening the curtain to their bunk. He climbs out and slips his shoes on before hurrying towards the restrooms. Luckily there’s hardly anyone in them so he’s able to quickly find a shower. He does his best to hurry, not wanting to make Mike angry on today of all days. He just wants to make sure he’s clean when he sees Liam and not smelling as if he spent all day in a car.

He gets back to the campsite in time to see Mike and his Mom taking down the camper. Mike barely spares him a glance except to shake his head when Theo comes to a stop next the camper.

“You can get in the van Theo,” his Mom says, “Tara and Corey are already in there.”

It’s another 6 hour drive to Mt. Rushmore. The closer they get, the more excited Theo becomes. Corey has to throw his legs over Theo’s to stop him from bouncing in the seat. He gives him a knowing smile and Theo ignores him. It’s been almost a year since they’ve seen each other. He’s allowed to miss him and be excited about seeing his… whatever Liam is. Friend doesn’t seem right but they’ve never really discussed being anything more. Even though he wants to be more so bad.

He all but throws himself out of the van when they get there, his foot tapping impatiently as he waits for the others before they make their way towards the entrance. _Liam’s inside here_ , Theo thinks, _just a few more steps and I’ll be standing in front of him_.

Theo walk up the stairs and come into view of the Alley of the Flags. There are people scattered all around and he’s starting to wonder how he’s supposed to find Liam when it happens. He sees Jenna first, her blonde hair is blowing in the wind as she takes pictures of the monument. Then he sees him. _Liam_.

Theo stops short, his eyes taking in the boy in front of him. He’s taller than Theo remembers but not by much. Almost as if sensing eyes on him Liam looks over in his direction, his mouth parting in shock when he sees him.

“Theo,” Liam breathes, taking a step towards him.

Theo lets his feet take him forward and into Liam’s space. There are so many things he’s thought about doing once he saw Liam again. Now here he is, standing in front of him. All Theo can do is pull Liam in for a tight hug, pleased when Liam hugs him back.

“I missed you,” Theo mumbles against his throat.

Liam’s arms tighten slightly, “I missed you too. So much. Just ask… Oh!”

Liam pulls back and looks over his shoulder, “Mason, come here. You have to meet Theo.”

Mason walks forward, attempting to do some weird handshake Theo fails at. That doesn’t deter him. All he does is smile, “It’s nice to finally meet the dude Liam won’t shut up about.”

“I can say the same,” Corey says, standing beside Theo. “It’s nice to meet you Liam. And you too,” Corey directs this at Mason, “I’ve heard that they think we’ll get along.”

“Corey this is Mason, Mason Corey,” Theo says, watching as the two boys smile at each other. Corey ducks his head and looks away, his face heating up slightly. When he looks over he notices Mason doing the same. Neither of them are being very discreet with the glances they keep shooting each other.

 _Interesting_ , Theo thinks. He’s definitely talking to Corey about this later.

“Oh Theo,” Jenna says, rushing forward and pulling him into a tight hug, “It’s so good to see you again,” she lowers her voice slightly as she pulls back to look at him. “I know Liam is more than happy to be seeing you again.”

“I am too,” Theo says, “About him. I’m happy to see him.”

She smiles and pats his cheek before moving off to talk to his parents. Liam smiles and moves closer to him, letting their hands brush briefly. Theo looks over to see Lyana and Tara in a tight embrace, whispering things to each other he’s probably better off not knowing.

“Mom can we…?” Liam starts but Jenna is already nodding.

“You all can go off and look,” Jenna tells them, looking to Theo’s parents for approval. They look hesitant but quickly agree, probably not wanting to start anything in front of Liam’s parents. “Stay with Lyana and Tara though, will you?” Jenna adds on. “I’ll certainly feel better if you don’t split up.”

“Sure,” Theo says.

“Meet back here around 3:30 for lunch,” David says, “Or dinner. Whatever you want to call it.”

“We have to wait that long to eat?” Liam complains.

Jenna sighs and hands over some cash, “Get a snack if you must. But nothing too big since we’ll be eating.”

Liam nods, “Okay Mom.”

The two wander off, joining a swarm of people that are heading towards the viewing area for the monument. Theo feels a hand slip into his and looks down to see Liam staring at him, his blue eyes wide and hopeful. Theo can also see the doubt there and he wants to erase it.

“Is this okay?” Liam asks.

Theo squeezes his hand and smiles, “Of course it is.”

He knows his parents are back somewhere in the crowd but he tries not to think about it. He finally has Liam at his side again. He just wants to enjoy it. They make their way up to the viewing area and wait their turn for the binoculars to get a better look at the monument.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Liam says, drawing Theo’s gaze back to him.

“Me either,” Theo smiles, squeezing his hand.

“Thank god we are,” Tara says, waking up next to them. “This one here has been insufferable.”

“Seriously, he barely slept last night,” Corey says, giving him an easy grin, “He kept tossing and turning, and talking about how excited he was.”

Theo ducks his head, feeling his face heat up. He looks over when he feels Liam move closer until their shoulders are touching. When Theo looks at him he’s smiling, “I’ve probably been just as bad,” Liam admits, “I’ve been waiting for this day for months. Probably since the day we had to say goodbye.”

“Me too,” Theo whispers. He leans in close, resting his forehead against Liam’s, “I know I’ve said it before but I really have missed you.”

Theo turns when he hears a camera flashing to see Lyana there, grinning as she looks down at the screen, “You two are adorable.”

Theo does his best not to duck his head, but Liam does, a light blush coating his cheeks. Theo smiles and places a kiss to the heated skin, “One of us is, at least.”

They eventually make their way up to the binoculars and take a look. Liam starts talking about the history of the monument and some of his favorite things about it. Normally Theo would find the subject boring but Liam looks so excited and he gets so into it that Theo can’t help but listen. Or at least he tries. At some point he gets lost in just watching Liam’s face and the way he gestures wildly. It’s not until Liam’s brow furrows and an adorable frown takes over his face that Theo snaps out of it.

“Sorry?”

Liam sighs, “Were you even listening to me?”

“Yeah of course,” Theo says, “You were talking about how…” he scrambles to remember something Liam had said, feeling relieved when he thinks of something. “Construction of Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete.”

He feels pleased until Liam narrows his eyes, “That’s the first thing I said. At least 5 minutes ago.”

“I… I guess I got a bit distracted,” Theo admits.

“By what?”

“You,” Theo says, “You were so excited when you were talking and you looked so cute.”

Liam’s eyes move across his face and then to somewhere over Theo’s shoulder before he sighs and shakes his head, “I would kiss you right now if I couldn’t see our parents watching us.”

Theo’s eyes widen but he doesn’t turn around. He just jeeps focusing on Liam, “Later then.”

Liam smiles, “Yeah. Later.”

Liam keeps his promise and kisses Theo outside the restroom that night, their lips holding the faint taste of chlorine from the swim they took minutes before. Liam giggles and laces their fingers together, pulling Theo closer as he smiles against his lips, “I’m so glad we’re here.”

“Yeah,” Theo sighs, grinning down at the boy in front of him, watching as the moonlight dances across his tan skin. “Me too.”

***

The next few days are better than Theo ever could have hoped for. They travel around, seeing different parks and things Jenna has on her list. Theo’s grateful for the times he gets to ride with Liam. Jenna, and David because he doesn’t have to hide with them. He’d choose to do it all the time if he didn’t want to give Lyana and Tara the same opportunity.

It’s almost physically painful having to keep himself at a distance from Liam whenever he’s around his parents. So many times he’s wanted to reach out and take Liam’s hand or pull him close but he knows he can’t. Not unless he wants to risk Mike finding out. He knows whatever reaction he would have wouldn’t be a good one.

The first few days it’s warm enough for them all to wear shorts and t-shirts. Theo admits that he’s waiting for a day for it to be cold enough for him to pull out the hoodie he brought for Liam to wear. He’s been thinking about it for days.

He gets his wish a week in when they wake up to find snow covering the ground. Theo smiles when Liam looks out at the snow with his mouth open in shock, “But it’s July!”

Theo chuckles, “The Northwest doesn’t care about summer, Liam.” Theo goes to his bag and pulls out the hoodie he stashed there before turning to Liam, “I brought this for you.”

Liam smiles and takes the black hoodie from Theo and brings it up to his face, “It smells like you.”

Theo hears Jenna chuckle and his face heats up, “Is that a good thing?”

“Oh it’s definitely a good thing,” Jenna tells him.

“It is,” Liam tells him. “Your soap smells nice. Good even. I like it.”

Theo rubs the back of his neck, unsure how he’s supposed to respond to that, “I’m glad.”

“I have something for you too,” Liam tells him. He goes to his own bag and pulls out a pink hoodie and hands it over to Theo. “It’s one of my favorites.”

Theo looks down and it and smiles, feeling the softness of the cotton in his hands. He doesn’t think before pulling the hoodie over his head, catching Liam’s familiar scent as he does. For a moment it looks like Liam’s eyes go gold and he has to blink. When he looks again they’re their normal blue. Theo shakes his head. It must have been a trick of the light or something. Liam puts Theo’s hoodie on and brings it up to his nose again, closing his eyes with a sigh. Then he’s moving forward and wrapping his arms around Theo’s waist as he buries his face into Theo’s neck, “The smell is stronger here.”

Theo feels his pulse jump and his breath catch at the way Liam is nosing at his neck. He’s aware of the others in the room but Liam doesn’t seem to mind. “Liam…”

Liam pulls back to look at him, his wide blue eyes boring into Theo’s, “Yeah?”

Theo shakes his head, not sure what he was even wanting to say. Instead he leans down and kisses Liam softly, feeling Liam smile against his lips. He pulls back with a sigh, resting his forehead against Liam’s. The two stand like that for a while, just existing together as the world carries on around them. At least until Jenna’s soft voice breaks them out of their bubble, “We’re going to be heading off soon you two so make sure you’re ready.”

“Okay Mom,” Liam says, his voice quiet. He places another soft kiss to Theo’s lips and then pulls back, grinning as he runs his fingers along the sleeve of the hoodie, “Pink is a good color on you.”

“I suppose that’s why you like to make him blush so much,” Mason says.

“You should know,” Liam says, giving Mason a knowing look.

Theo grins, looking over at where Corey is sitting next to Mason, their hands linked between them. The two have certainly hit it off and he’s happy about it. He’d been hoping they’d get along, but this is even better. It also makes him sad because he knows at the end of the summer they’re going to be split up just like Liam and Theo are, and Tara and Lyana.

He sighs and pulls back from Liam, ignoring Liam when he feels his gaze on him as he moves to grab his headphones and CD’s from his bag and puts them in the pocket of his hoodie. Liam keeps shooting glances at him all the way out to the car and then once they’re seated in the backseat.

“Is something wrong?” Liam asks, threading their fingers together.

Theo sighs and shakes his head, “No, it’s fine. It’s stupid.”

Liam frowns and uses his free hand to get Theo to look at him, “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t shut me out,” Liam pleads, “If something is bothering you, tell me.”

“I just started thinking about how much it sucks that we’re all going to be separated here soon,” Theo mutters. “It’s not fair.”

Liam’s expression turns thoughtful as he brings his hand back to play with the hair that’s sticking out from underneath the beanie Theo has on, “it’s not, you’re right. But we still have another month to just be together. All of us. So we should enjoy it while we can, don’t you think?”

Theo nods, “Yeah okay. I just wish it could always be like this.”

“So do I,” Theo says, his voice soft. “Someday it will be though.”

“You really think so?” Theo asks, glancing down at him.

Liam smiles, “Yeah I do.”

Theo smiles and pulls out his CD player and headphones from his pocket. Liam grabs his own headphones and they both plug them into the CD player. They listen together as they look out the window, watching as the scenery goes by. Trees and grass and various animals. Theo doesn’t know if he’ll ever get used to it out here. There’s so much open space. He doesn’t live in a big city by any means, but even his life in a small town is filled with various buildings. It’s nice just being a part of nature.

The next day is Liam’s birthday and they’re going to see Old Faithful. Jenna planned it to where they’d be there, knowing how much Liam wanted to see it. Liam is giddy the whole morning, practically bouncing in his seat. Theo just smiles and hooks his chin on Liam’s should. They still have another hour drive.

“I have your present,” Theo tells him, “Do you want it?”

Liam’s eyes light up as he nods excitedly, “Heck yeah I do.”

Theo grabs the bag he’s brought out to the car and pulls out the wrapped present he’d stashed in there. He watches as Liam frowns and takes it from him, “This is heavy. What is it?”

“Just open it,” Theo says, his lips twitching up into an amused smile as Liam turns the package over, examining it.

Finally Liam starts carefully pulling back the wrapping paper. He picks up the book and holds it in his hands as he stares down at it. He doesn’t say anything and for a moment Theo is worried he picked the wrong thing. He rubs the back of his neck, “If you don’t like it…”

Liam’s eyes snap up to meet his and Theo’s surprised to see them welling up with tears, “No Theo. This is… it’s perfect. Thank you.”

He throws his arms around Theo’s neck and hugs him close. Theo lets out and “oomph!” when the book hits him in the back. Liam pulls back, a wide grin on his place. “You really do know me well, don’t you?”

Theo doesn’t get a chance to respond before Liam is kissing him, soft and sweet. The book goes clattering to the floor, causing them to break a part. Theo looks over to see Mason picking it up. He looks from the book to Liam and Theo and nods, “ _The Complete History of Mykonos_. Nice.”

“Oh how sweet,” Jenna says, “Liam has always wanted to visit Mykonos.”

“Maybe he will one day,” Theo says.

Liam smiles, brushing their noses together. “Maybe we will.”

Soon they’re pulling into the parking lot that will lead them to old faithful. Liam is practically bouncing in his seat. He all but throws himself out of the car once it’s parked, rocking on his toes as he waits impatiently for the others to get out of the car.

Jenna rolls her eyes fondly at her son, “Honestly Liam. It’s not going anywhere.”

“I know but I want to see it,” Liam says, “it’s supposed to look amazing. I’ve seen pictures.”

Theo sticks close to Liam as they walk towards the geyser. Their hands brush but Theo isn’t brave enough to take it, not with Mike and his Mom standing right there. Liam is giddy the whole time they’re walking towards Old Faithful. Up until he takes a big lungful of air and then starts coughing.

“Oh my god,” Liam wheezes, bringing a hand up to cover his nose, “What is that _smell?_ ”

David chuckles and claps Liam on the shoulder, “Did no one warn you that geyser’s smell like rotten eggs son?”

“And I thought you did your research,” Theo teases.

Liam shoots him a half-hearted glare, “Shut up. I thought it was exaggerating.”

“Clearly not,” Mason mutters, “This is rancid.”

“I think it smells like Liam’s room,” Lyana muses.

“Hey!” Liam says, his tone indignant. “My room does not smell! Especially not like rotten eggs. Mason, tell them.”

“It did that one time you left that pile of used socks in there,” Mason says.

Liam’s face falls open in shock and David starts coughing. Lyana snickers behind him.

“Mom!” Liam whines. “Tell them to stop.”

“Stop picking on Liam,” Jenna says.

“Thank you.”

Jenna smirks, “He’s just a young man getting to know himself, after all.”

“Oh my god,” Liam says, putting his face in his hands. “You guys are so embarrassing.”

Jenna sighs and puts her arm around Liam’s shoulder, pulling him close. “I wouldn’t be your mother if I didn’t embarrass you at least a little bit. And believe me, you’ve got it easy. My Mom embarrassed me so much worse. She came home once time when I had a boy over and started blasting _Let’s Get It On_ by Marvin Gaye.”

“Wait, she wanted you to have sex?” Liam asks, looking surprised.

Jenna snorts, “Oh absolutely not. She was hoping to scare the poor guy off. It wound up backfiring through since we wound up married.”

“She thought it was revenge for sneaking over to her house when she wasn’t there to have sex,” David says.

“Wait a second,” Liam says, “It was you two? Oh my god. I can’t do this. Come on Theo.”

Liam grabs Theo by the sleeve of his jacket and starts pulling him away, ignoring the laughter of his parents. They don’t go far but it’s enough. Liam sighs and shakes his head as they sit down on a bench facing the geyser, “Am I just doomed to have embarrassing birthdays?”

“Seems like it,” Theo grins and knocks their shoulder together. “But at least you’re not being dragged around a restaurant this time.”

“That wasn’t so bad,” Liam says, glancing up at him.

“It wasn’t?”

Liam shakes his head and smiles, “No. it led me to you.”

Theo ducks his head, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Then I’m glad it happened.”

“Are you two being ridiculously cute again?” Corey asks, taking a seat next to Theo.

“They must be,” Mason says, sitting down next to Corey. “Theo’s face is red.”

“It’s cold,” Theo mutters.

Corey snorts, “Not _that_ cold.”

“How much time do we have before it erupts?” Lyana asks, sitting down next to Liam, with Tara next to her.

Mason checks his watch, “Another 20 minutes.”

“What are we going to do for 20 minutes?” Liam asks.

“Oh I don’t know Liam,” Mason says. “Maybe talk like normal people do.”

“You’re so rude to me,” Liam says, but Theo can tell he’s fighting the urge to smile, “I wonder why I put up with you.”

“Because I’m the only one who listens to you pine after Theo,” Mason says.

Liam’s mouth falls open, before he closes it with a snap, his shoulders hunching as he looks away. Theo leans against him, wanting Liam to know it’s okay. He leans in, keeping his voice low as he speaks to Liam, “You know I missed you a lot too?”

Liam turns his head and meets Theo’s gaze. His posture relaxes as he leans into Theo, just enough for it to be comforting but not enough to draw unwanted attention. “I know.”

They pass the time laughing and joking with each other. At some point Tara suggests they play a game where they look at people and guess what their life story is. It ranges from sad to ridiculous. Liam looks at a man in a bright red jumpsuit and says he’s a failed rapper from the 90’s that can’t move on with his life. Corey looks at an old couple with their dog and says that it’s all a ruse and they’re really bank robbers trying to blend in and not get caught.

There’s an announcement and suddenly the area falls quiet, everyone turning their attention back in front of them. Theo watches as suddenly the geyser erupts. He feels a hand grip his arm and looks over to see Liam watching the geyser in wide eyed awe. He looks beautiful.

Theo has to make himself turn away from Liam and look at Old Faithful, but it’s hard. The geyser is amazing and all but watching Liam react to it is even better.

“That was amazing,” Liam breathes, once it’s finished. “Wasn’t it?”

Theo smiles when Liam turns to him, “Yeah it was. Worth living through the stink.”

“Definitely,” Liam agrees.

“Is it weird to say that I’m hungry right now?” Mason asks.

“As long as you don’t say you’re craving eggs,” Corey tells him.

Mason wrinkles his nose, “I probably won’t be able to eat eggs again for a while.”

They wind up going to the Old Faithful Inn for lunch. They have a bit of a wait as they usually do since there are 10 of them, but Theo doesn’t mind it. As long as he gets to be around Liam he’s fine.

“Are you having a good birthday?” Theo asks Liam, when they’re finally sitting at their table, looking over the menus.

“The best,” Liam tells him. “Rotten egg smell and all.”

Theo grins, “Good.”

It’s easy sometimes to forget he’s with his parents. He never completely does. There’s always part of him that’s aware enough to make sure he doesn’t do something risky like kiss Liam. But he’s still able to laugh and enjoy himself. He can’t remember the last time he was this happy.

After lunch they find himself at the gift shop. Theo and Liam browse the shelves, sticking close so they don’t lose each other in the throng of people. Theo watches as Liam picks up a ring, examining it. Theo leans over Liam’s shoulder, using looking at the ring as an excuse to be this close to Liam.

“It’s nice,” Theo says, taking in the geysers that run around the outside of the ring.

“Theo,” Liam says, his voice small and hesitant. “Would you…?”

“You’re not about to propose, are you?” Theo asks, attempting to use bad humor as a way to hide his nerves.

Liam rolls his eyes, “No. We’re only 14. But if you’re going to be an asshole about it…”

Theo grabs Liam’s hand, stopping him from putting the ring up. He moves around until they’re facing each other, and looks around the store to make sure no one’s watching them. His parents seem to be occupied with something Tara is saying on the other side of the store.

“What is it?” Theo asks.

“I just…” Liam takes a deep breath. “I want us to have something to remember each other. To let each other know we’ll always be here, no matter what happens.”

“Oh,” Theo says, mentally kicking himself for the poor response. “That’s… that’d be nice. I want that too.”

“Really?” Liam asks.

Theo smiles, hooking his pinky with Liam’s, “Really.”

Liam grabs another one of the rings and holds it out to Theo, having him try it on. “You don’t have to wear it on your finger. I’m going to get a chain for mine. But just in case.”

Liam slips the ring on Theo’s finger easily and looks up at him with wide eyes. They look at each other, both of them breathing heavier than before. Then Liam is clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck, “I think it fits.”

Theo nods and slips the ring off, “Yeah it does.”

Liam takes the ring from him and grabs a couple chains off the rack. He gives Theo a small smile, “I’ll be right back.”

Theo watches him go, his mind racing and trying to wrap his head around what just happened. He almost jumps when Liam’s voice sounds behind him, “Did you and my brother just get engaged in a gift shop?”

“We’re only 14, Lyana,” Theo says, repeating Liam’s earlier words.

Lyana just shrugs, “I know people that are younger than that and pregnant.”

“We’re not engaged,” Theo says.

“Yet,” Lyana winks, “Mark my words, Theo Raeken, one day we will be family.”

Theo doesn’t tell her there are other ways to be family. And that if she keeps going with Tara and they get married they’ll technically be in laws that way. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t feel like arguing with her. Or maybe it’s because some part of him likes the idea of one day being married to Liam.

***

“Let’s dance,” Liam says, holding out his hand to Theo.

Theo stares at it for a moment before taking it, allowing Liam to pull him up and close as they begin to sway to the music. It should make him nervous, letting himself be so close to Liam like this in public, but it doesn’t. His parents are down at the campsite and won’t be looking for him anytime soon and none of the people here even bat an eye. Some even give them small smiles.

Liam rests his head on Theo’s chest and Theo moves his arms around his waist, holding him close as they dance, the sound of Hotel California filling the air around them. It’s not exactly a song to slow dance to but no one seems to mind. He looks over and sees Tara and Lyana twirling each other around the dance floor while Mason and Corey dance. Mason’s arms are around Corey’s neck while Corey’s hand are on his hips. Theo can’t help but feel a pang of longing when Corey leans down and softly kisses Mason’s head. He shakes himself, realizing that there’s no reason he can’t have that. He already has Liam in his arms, snuggled close to him. Why shouldn’t he be able to kiss him?

He leans down and lets his lips brush against Liam’s forehead. Liam pulls back and looks at him with wide eyes and Theo swallows around the lump in his throat, “Was that okay?”

Liam just nods, giving him a soft smile, “Yeah, of course it is.”

“Good,” Theo says, placing a kiss to his nose. He smiles when Liam giggles and he blushes. He loves the look on Liam.

“I wish it could always be like this,” Liam sighs, resting his head on Theo’s chest again. “Just the two of us, dancing together.”

“Liam we’re surrounded by people,” Theo points out.

“Yeah but none of them care who we are,” Liam says. “They don’t care whether we’re gay or straight or purple with pink spots. We’re all just people, dancing to Hotel California.”

Theo smiles, resting his chin on Liam’s head as he pulls him closer, “Yeah we are.”

Liam pulls back with a grin when the song ends and another familiar song starts up. It’s a faster one but Theo can’t be sad when Liam looks so happy. He lets Liam grab his hands a lead him in an uncoordinated dance to _Dancing in the Street._ He smiles when Tara, Lyana, Mason, and Corey make their way over to them.

They spend the evening dancing and laughing before making their way back to the campsite. It’s only a little past 9 but their parents are nowhere in sight. Theo can see lights flashing in the camper and knows Mike must have a movie on. Good. If he’s watching something he won’t be tempted to come out and check on them.

Mason, Corey, Lyana, and Tara take the camping chairs and Theo and Liam sit down on the giant log next to the fire. It’s become their favorite place to sit together because it means they can sit close, even when his parents are around. They all start talking and swapping stories about what they’ve been up to over the past years. Some of them Theo has heard through letters and phone calls but it’s nice getting to hear them like this.

“So for Spring Break we went to the Smokey Mountains,” Theo is telling them. “Well Corey didn’t go this time.”

“No sadly I had to miss out,” Corey says, not looking the least bit regretful. “My cousin Nolan went instead.”

“And Tara’s friend Cora,” Theo nods, “but she didn’t tell anyone that she can get carsick after a while.”

Lyana gasps, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. “On no.”

Tara nods her head solemnly, “She didn’t tell anyone she got car sick. Knowing we were going into the mountains and there would be all those twists and turns. So of course she didn’t take her anti-nausea meds.”

“She didn’t,” Lyana says, face looking between delight and disgust.

Theo shakes his head in disgust, “She threw up all in the backseat. I was in the seat in front of her but Tara was right beside her.”

“Please tell me it didn’t go everywhere,” Liam says, his face paler than it was before.

“It didn’t,” Theo just looks grim, “because she used my poor Winnie the Pooh blanket to puke into.”

“So here we are driving up into the mountains with all these turns and Cora is throwing up into little Theo’s blanket and ruining it,” Tara sighs, “that’s what he cared about, by the way. Not if she was alright but that his blanket had been destroyed.”

“It was my favorite,” Theo mutters, sinking further down into his chair.

“Intense,” Mason breathes.

“So it’s one thing for Cora to not tell about her carsickness,” Lyana says, “but why didn’t her parents?”

“Cora told them she already said something,” Tara sighs, “and she didn’t say anything because she didn’t think it would be that bad.”

Theo smiles when Liam slides closer to him on the log. He doesn’t even hesitate before bringing his arm up and wrapping it around Liam’s shoulders. He knows he should worry that his parents are right inside the camper but he can’t. He finally has Liam here by his side again. That’s what matters.

He feels a feather light kiss to his neck and looks down to see Liam watching him. His eyes are bright and dancing with the reflection of the flames from the fire. Theo feels his breath catch and that same familiar feeling he’s come to associate with Liam starts stirring in his gut.

Theo can’t stop himself from leaning in and kissing Liam. His hand moves up to caress his cheek as their lips move softly together. This feels different than their first kisses already. There’s a fire burning inside Theo and all he knows is that Liam is the source of water to quench his thirst.

“Theo,” Liam breathes, eyes darker than they were before.

“I know,” Theo whispers, resting his head against Liam’s. “This feels different.”

Liam smiles, his fingers dancing along Theo’s hips in a way that makes him have to close his eyes. At least until Liam leans in again, lips ghosting across Theo’s as he speaks, “I don’t mind it.”

Theo takes a deep breath, his eyes searching Liam’s face. Then he’s leaning in and kissing him again. He doesn’t care that Lyana, Tara, Mason, and Corey are a short distance away. The only thing he can focus on is Liam. He’s spent so long imagining what it would be like to be around Liam again, to kiss him. Now that he knows he’s not about to let it go.

“Let’s go for a walk,” He mumbles against Liam’s lips.

Liam licks his lips and Theo can’t help but track the movement with his eyes. Liam’s voice brings him back, “Yeah okay.”

He smiles and stands up, reaching down for Liam’s hand. Liam takes it with a smile and the two start off towards the path. Theo still when Tara’s amused voice reaches him, “Where do you two think you’re going?”

Theo glances back at her, “For a walk.”

Tara snorts, “Okay sure. Just be careful alright?”

“And look out for bears!” Lyana calls after them.

***

Liam can tell that Theo thinks it’s a joke but he doesn’t. He knows what’s out in the woods. He just hopes it stays far away. Not that he plans to go too far. He just wants some alone time with Theo and he knows Theo wants the same. They walk for a while, their hands swinging in between them. At some point Theo pulls Liam to a stops and looks around. There’s nothing around them except trees and bushes, which is find by Liam.

Liam backs up against a tree and pulls Theo close. He can smell how nervous Theo is as he leans in close to Liam, resting is arms on either side of Liam’s head. His head is bowed and his shoulders seem to be shaking. It’s oddly comforting. It lets him know he’s not alone in this. That they’re on the same page.

Liam brings a hand up and brushes his fingers across Theo’s cheek, watching as he shivers, whether from the cold or Liam’s touch. Probably a little bit of both. “Hey,” Liam whispers, afraid to speak too loud. Something about this feels big to him. “Theo look at me.”

Theo’s eyes move up to meet his and Liam can see the fear there. He leans in and kisses him softly, just a soft brush of lips letting Theo know he’s here, that they’re in this together. “I’m nervous too.”

Theo takes a shuddering breath a nods, “I want to be here with you. But I…”

“What is it? We have to be able to talk to each other about what we want.”

“I want you,” Theo says. Theo’s eyes widen at the same time Liam’s does and Theo hurries on, stammering over the words, “Not like that! I mean I do, but I don’t.” He groans, resting his forehead against Liam’s. “This is confusing. My body wants you, but I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Neither am I,” Liam tells him. “But I do know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That I really like kissing you,” Liam smiles, “And I wouldn’t mind doing more of that.”

“Me either,” Theo breathes.

Liam kisses Theo again, firmer this time. He’s pleased when Theo kisses him back. He sighs when Liam licks into his mouth, their tongues meeting in a gentle dance. He’s always heard people talk about kissing but he never thought it would feel like this. His skin is buzzing and he’s left feeling breathless when they pull back. He looks at Theo, taking in his red, kiss swollen lips, and dark eyes and laughs, feeling a little giddy about the whole thing.

“Wow,” Liam breathes.

“Yeah,” Theo laughs, his face bright and happy. Liam just has to kiss him again.

Eventually they pull away and continue to walk down the warm path. Liam smiles when they come to a clearing. The moon is bright and almost full above them. He feels calm here standing under the moonbeams with Theo at his side. Theo wraps his around Liam’s waist and pulls him close, placing a kiss to the side of his head. The two just stand there, watching the stars.

Liam turns his head when he hears a noise coming from a few feet away. It’s an animal. He knows it is. He’s been hearing animals all night though. It’s expected out here. Except he knows this is a big one. He can hear the heavy footfalls and grunting as he makes its way through the trees toward them.

“Do you hear something?” Theo asks, his voice quiet.

Liam nods, “Yeah. We should go.”

His hand moves to Theo’s, preparing to start pulling him back towards the trees. He knows better than to try and run away. It’ll just draw attention to them or make them seem like a threat. He doesn’t want that. He just wants away from here. He wants Theo safe.

He hears Theo gasp as a large bear breaks through the trees. It hasn’t seen them yet but Liam knows it’s only a matter of time. He backs up, making a quiet gesture at Theo as he does the same. Liam flinches when his footsteps in a branch, the loud snap echoing through the clearing. The bears head lifts and then it’s looking right at them. It gives a low warning growl and then it starts moving slowly.

Liam stares in horror as the bear approaches them. His feet feel glued to the spot. He knows he could easily wolf out and attempt to scare the beast off but that would mean revealing his secret to Theo.

 _Are you really so afraid of Theo finding out you’re a werewolf that you’d put both of your lives in danger?_ A voice asks that sounds a little bit too much like Lyana’s asks.

He looks over at Theo to see him staring at the bear with wide eyes. Liam squeezes his hand, knowing what he has to do. Whatever happens will be worth it because it means he keeps Theo safe.

“Please don’t think differently of me,” Liam says, his voice quiet but he knows Theo hears.

Liam drops Theo’s hand and moves forward. He’s never faced a bear before and doesn’t exactly want to hurt one. He’s just hoping he can scare it off.

“Liam?” Theo asks, sounding scared. “Liam what are you doing? Get back here.”

“It’s okay, Theo,” Liam says, turning his head to grin at him, “It’s going to be okay.”

He turns back to the bear and flashes his eyes, his face shifting as his claws come out. He hears Theo gasp behind him but he ignores him. The bear is growling now and pawing at the ground. Liam does the only thing he can think of. He roars. The bear backs up a few feet but doesn’t run like he’d been hoping. Shit. He hears another roar and then there’s someone beside him. For a moment he’s afraid it’s Theo but when he looks over he sees his Mom, her eyes flashing a brilliant red as she stares at the bear. Lyana is on her other side, her eyes blazing yellow.

“Get Theo and get out of here,” His Mom tells him.

“But…”

“Now!” Jenna says, turning her glare on him.

Liam reels back at the authority in her voice. He rushes over to Theo, and goes to reach for Theo’s hand but hesitates, wondering if Theo will even want him to touch him. “Come on.”

He starts to walk away, letting out a breath of relief when he hears Theo’s footfalls behind him. They barely make it into the cover of the woods before he finds himself spun around and then pinned to a tree as Theo’s lips meet his in hungry kiss. Liam’s hands come up to grip Theo’s shoulders, a moan escaping him as Theo licks into his mouth. They’ve never kissed like this before, at least not with this much desire running through them, and it’s making Liam feel a little dizzy.

“You saved me,” Theo murmurs, looking at Liam with awe.

“Well technically my Mom…” Liam begins, only to find himself silenced when Theo kisses him again.

Theo’s grinning when he pulls back, “No, you did. You were so brave Liam. When you walked up to face that bear by yourself. I don’t care if you did have claws, that thing was still twice your size.”

“You don’t care that I’m a werewolf?” Liam asks, his eyes moving across Theo’s face. All he sees there is happiness and that same look of wonder. “You’re not afraid of me.”

Theo shakes his head, resting his forehead against Liam’s. “Of course I’m not afraid of you. I know you’d never hurt me.”

“I…” _love you_. The words are there on the tip of his tongue but Liam holds them back, afraid of how big they are. It’s not that he doesn’t think he’d mean them. He just knows how important they are. And that scares him. He’s only 14. The thought of feeling so much for one person is terrifying, but he knows he does.

He thinks about how he felt when he saw the bear. How he’d been more afraid for Theo’s safety than his own. How he was prepared to risk his own safety to make sure Theo was safe. He’d do anything for Theo. He knows that. And it scares him as much as it excites him.

So instead of speaking Liam kisses Theo again, trying to say with each brush of his lips against Theo’s what he can’t speak out loud. Theo kisses Liam back, his hand coming up to stroke Liam’s cheek. When they pull back Theo is smiles, soft and fond.

“Can you show me?” Theo asks.

Liam doesn’t need to ask to know what he’s referring to. Normally the thought of showing someone what he is would scare him, but this is Theo. So he closes his eyes and take a deep breath, counting to 10 in his head before opening his eyes.

Theo doesn’t react except to stare at him, the awe on his face growing. His hand moves down, grazing over Liam’s lips, carefully touching the hint of fang that’s peeking out. He smiles and surprises Liam by leaning down and kissing him softly.

“You’re beautiful,” Theo whispers.

Liam’s eyes widen, “I am?”

Theo laughs, sounding a little breathless. “Yeah, you are. So beautiful. Inside and out.”

“God,” Liam hears Lyana mutter a second before her and his Mom comes walking through the trees. “You two really are sappy.”

Theo’s face heats up at that. Liam gives him a sheepish smile, “So we may have enhanced hearing?”

“Oh god,” Theo says, suddenly looking horrified.

“Don’t worry dear,” Jenna says, trying to reassure Theo, “We would never purposefully eavesdrop. Would we, Lyana?”

Lyana rolls her eyes when Jenna levels her with a long look, “Of course not. We respect people’s privacy.”

Liam snorts, “You could at least try to sound convincing.”

“Oh believe me Liam, I try and tune out whatever it is you do when you’re home in your room m--”

The rest of Lyana’s words come out muffled when their mother puts a hand over her mouth, shaking her head in exasperation. She looks over at Liam and Theo, “We should head back to camp. The bear is gone, but it’s best not to linger.”

Liam nods, “Sure.”

Theo pulls back, letting Liam move past him. He laces their fingers together as they head back towards their campsites.

“So how did you find us?” Liam asks his mother and sister.

“Seriously Liam?” Lyana asks. “You literally roared. Did you think we wouldn’t hear you? Poor Corey and Tara thought we were about to be under attack. Lord knows how I’m going to explain just up and disappearing.”

“We were worried about your brother and Theo,” Jenna tells her. “And went to find them.”

“Are you going to tell her?” Theo asks, his eyes moving over to Lyana.

Lyana opens her mouth and then closes it. Her eyes stay focused on the forest floor as she mutters, “I don’t know. I want to but…”

“You’re afraid of how she’ll react,” Theo finishes.

Lyana nods, “I don’t want her to look at me differently.”

“She won’t,” Theo tells her, but his eyes stay on Liam. “You just have to trust her.”

“It’s okay if you want to tell her sweetheart,” Jenna says. “It’s only fair now that Theo knows.”

“Yeah okay,” Lyana says, “I’ll tell her.”

When they get back to the campsite Tara is still sitting there with Mason and Corey. They all look towards them as they walk up to the fire. Lyana walks over to Tara and holds out her hand, asking her to go for a walk. Tara looks confused but takes Lyana’s hand and let her lead her towards the small road. Liam is grateful they’re at least sticking to well-lit areas.

He sighs and collapses back onto the log they were sitting on before. Theo sits down next to him, his body a line of warmth next to him. Liam rests his head on Theo’s shoulder, feeling his eyes start to drift closed. It’s been a long night. He can hear Theo speaking to Mason and Corey but he can’t focus on the world. He frowns when suddenly his world starts shifting and he’s no longer on the bench.

“Wha?” Liam mumbles, blinking tiredly.

“Relax Li,” Theo says softly, “You’re tired, so we’re going to bed.”

“I don’t want to sleep,” Liam says, attempting to open his eyes but they’re too heavy. “We only have a few days left. I want to stay awake with you.”

“I know, but you also need rest. You sleep now and we can get up early and spend the whole day together tomorrow,” Theo tells him. “We don’t have any actual plans, remember?”

“Yeah okay,” Liam mumbles, resting his head back on Theo’s chest.

He hears Theo talking to his parents when they step inside but he’s already started to drift off again. He’s lowered on the bed and then he’s shoes and socks are being removed. He blinks his eyes open when he feels a hand on his cheek.

“Do you think you can manage to get changed?” Theo asks.

Liam is tempted to say no. He really is feeling exhausted. But he knows Theo would never let him sleep in his clothes like this and he’s not about to have his boyfriend change him like a two year old. His eyes fly open at that and he sits up so fast he almost knocks head with Theo. _Boyfriend_. They’ve never actually discussed, but Liam’s always figured…

He takes a deep breath and brushes off Theo’s concern, “Sorry. I think I can manage.”

Theo nods, but he still looks worried. “I’m gonna grab my clothes and change in your parents bunk.”

Liam nods and sits there while Theo grabs his pajamas. He’s trying to figure out why that one word had such an effect on him. Especially after everything they’ve been doing this whole trip. They’ve certainly been acting like a couple. He shakes his head and moves fully onto the bed, closing the curtain once Theo has moved away. He changes quickly, using the time to calm himself. He doesn’t want to act weird around Theo right now. He only has another 2 days with him and he doesn’t want to waste them with some weird tension.

He pulls the curtain back and lays down, waiting for Theo to join him. When he does the two wrap themselves around each other, the same way they have every other night they’ve slept together like this. At least in his camper. Liam hates that they have to be so careful around Theo’s parents. He just wants Theo to be able to be himself and be happy. He ones one day he’ll be able to.

***

They spend the whole day together just like Theo told him they would. At some point Lyana convinces their Mom to let her drive the van and they all go off to play mini golf and then grab pizza and ice cream. It’s nice just spending time with Theo, Lyana, Tara, Mason, and Corey doing normal things. He imagines this is what it would be like if they all lived close together. The fact that they don’t makes him sad. He’s going to miss this.

It’s near dark when they get back and Liam decides they should head up and go dancing again like they had before. Mason, Corey, Lyana, and Tara join them again. It’s a little more reserved this time, all of them knowing this is going to be their last night together. They all still dance and enjoy themselves. Liam is just happy that Tara took the whole werewolf thing so well. 

At some point Corey and Mason slip off together, and then Lyana and Tara do as well. Then it’s just Theo and Liam and about 6 strangers dancing to whatever song the band decides to play. Liam can feel the papers in his pocket, reminding him what he’s been planning to do.

He tell Theo he’ll be right back and makes his way up to the band on the stage, handing them over the sheets he’d printed out at the office a few days ago. It had cost him but he thinks it’ll be worth it if the band agrees to play the song. They look at it and share a few looks and muttered conversation before nodding.

“I think we can manage this for you kid,” the singer says.

Liam grins, “Thank you. Really.”

He makes his way back to Theo who is watching him, his eyebrow raised in silent question. Liam just smiles, “I put in a request.”

“What is it?” Theo asks, eyeing him curiously.

“You’ll see.”

He doesn’t have to explain further because the next moment the band starts playing. Theo looks at Liam with wide eyes as the band starts playing _Someone Like You_ by *NSYNC. Liam just steps up, hooking his arms around Theo’s neck. Theo quickly gets with the program and puts his hands on Liam’s hips as the two start swaying to the music. When the chorus starts up Liam can’t help but sing along

 _Cause something happens when you look at me_  
_I forget to speak_  
_Something happens when you kiss my mouth_  
_My knees gets so weak_  
_Could it be true this is what god has meant for me_  
_Cause baby I can't believe_  
_That something like you could happen to me_

“I can’t believe you got them to do this,” Theo says, smiling down at him.

Liam smiles, especially when the band changes girl to boy, the singer winking at Liam. Liam gives a giddy laugh and looks back at Theo, “I didn’t plan that one.”

“And to think you could have taken credit for it,” Theo says.

“Just shut up and kiss me,” Liam says.

Theo’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise before he smirks, leaning down to capture Liam’s lips in a soft kiss. They both know that tomorrow Theo’s going to be leaving. But that doesn’t matter. Tonight they’re able to have this. To dance and laugh and just be together. The real world can wait another few hours.

Unfortunately it gets to them far sooner than either of them would have liked. Liam wakes up when Theo sneaks back into the camper. He’s already dressed and wearing the pink hoodie Liam gave him along with his favorite grey beanie. Liam gets up and walks over to him, wrapping his arms around Theo’s waist. “I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to go either,” Theo tells him. “I wish we could just stay here forever.”

“Me too,” Liam mumbles, tucking his face into Theo’s neck. He inhales deeply, basking in the scent of Theo. He pulls back when he hears Theo chuckle, “What?”

“Nothing,” Theo says. “I just understand the whole scenting thing now. The first time you did that I was confused, but now I know it’s some wolfy thing.”

“I think it’s just a Liam thing,” Mason mutters tiredly from the couch.

Liam pulls back with a sigh, “I’m going to go brush my teeth. Walk with me?”

Theo nods, “I’m going to take as much time with you as I can.”

“You just want to sneak off and kiss,” Corey says.

“As if you two don’t want to do that too,” Liam says.

“We’re not denying it,” Mason says.

“Well I’m not denying it either,” Liam says. “I always want to kiss Theo.”

“I always walk in at the best moments,” Jenna sighs. “Theo dear, your parents are about ready to go. So you should say your goodbyes.”

Theo nods and steps forward, pulling Jenna in for a hug, “Thank you.”

“What for?” Jenna asks.

“For accepting me,” Theo says.

“Oh honey,” his Mom pulls Theo in for another, tighter hug. “Of course we accept you. You are a wonderful young man. And you make my son happy. You know we’ll always be here for you if you need anything.”

Theo nods, “I do.”

“Good,” Jenna says, patting his cheek as she gives him a tearful smile. “Now get out of here before you make me cry.”

Liam and Theo walk slowly towards the bathroom. He has his bag with his toothbrush and toothpaste in one hand and Theo’s hand in the other. Theo leans against the wall his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie as Liam brushes his teeth. When he’s done he stuffs the bag into the pockets of his hoodie and makes his way towards Theo. Theo immediately pulls Liam in for a kiss, it’s slow and tender and a little bit heartbreaking.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” Theo whispers.

“I’ll miss you too,” Liam says, “But we’re still going to talk all the time, okay? We’ll talk so much you’ll get sick of me.”

Theo laughs fondly at him, kissing the tip of his nose, “That’s not possible. But we’re going into high school Liam. You’re going to be playing lacrosse and…”

“Stop,” Liam says, feeling his throat start to close up. He’s not going to cry. Not yet. “I will never be too busy for you. _Never_. You are important to me. And if you ever start to doubt that just look at this,” he pulls on the chain with the ring on it. “It’s our promise, yeah? To always be there for each other.”

Theo nods. He kisses Liam again before pulling back. They both sigh when they hear Mike calling for Theo. “I need to go.”

“Yeah. I’ll walk with you.”

Theo nods. Liam can tell he wants to take his hand but he doesn’t. They both know they can’t. Not when they’re going to be seeing Mike. Liam has to tap down on the anger he feels for the man as they walk up to the now almost empty campsite. The camper is taken down and ready to go. They’re just waiting for Theo. Liam can see Mason and Corey hugging, as well as Lyana and Tara. He turns to Theo and pulls him in for a tight hug.

“Call me when you get home, okay?”

“I will,” Theo whispers, gripping Liam just a little bit tight.

He pulls back when Mike honks the horn, telling them all to hurry up. Liam wants to kiss him. He wants to hug Theo tight and keep him here. All he can do is watch him walk away. Theo turns to look at him, giving him one last sad smile before getting into the van. Then the door is closing and Theo is disappearing from view.

Liam watches as the van drives away, unable to keep the tears from falling as Theo puts his palm up to the glass, his own face streaked with tears. He feels a hand on his shoulder and doesn’t have to look to know it’s Mason. Lyana is on his other side, wiping her own tears away. He knows they both understand. They’re both watching people they care about drive away, not knowing when they’ll see them again. Because it is a when. Liam has to tell himself that. He is going to see Theo again. He doesn’t care how long it takes. Until then he’ll just have to make do with letters and phone calls and savor every conversation until the next time he’s able to be back in Theo’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and for your patience! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

Theo admits that he’s nervous for his first day of high school. He knows he’ll be fine. He’s going into it with friends and he has Tara there to watch his back. But he doesn’t want to have to rely on her. He wants to be able to get by on his own. He’ll be happy if he can just exist and slide under the radar. When he walks in with Tara he sees the cafeteria is full of people already. Theo looks around, hoisting his backpack up higher on his shoulder as he scans the room for Corey.

“Hey Tara,” a male voice sounds from Theo’s right. Theo looks over as a kid about his height, but probably a year or two older stops in front of them. He looks over at Theo and smiles, “Is this your brother?”

Tara nods, “Yeah this is Theo. Theo this is Derek. He’s a sophomore.”

“I was in your shoes last year,” Derek says, “So I definitely remember what it’s like to have first day of high school jitters, even if some people don’t.” He winks at Tara when he says this before turning back to Theo. “If you need anything, let me know. Okay? I know you probably don’t want to go to your older sister but I’m here if you need someone. Whether for a guide or advice.”

Theo gives him a grateful smile. Tara’s talked about Derek before and has always said he’s a good guy. Now Theo can see why, “Thanks Derek. I appreciate it.”

Derek nods, and claps in on the shoulder, “Good. Because big sis has already spotted her people and left you.”

Theo looks to where Tara was standing and finds the spot empty. He sighs, “It’s fine. I just need to find my friend Corey.”

“Corey Bryant?” Derek asks.

Theo nods, “Do you know him?”

“Yeah, our parents know each other,” Derek tells him. “I saw him a few minutes ago. Come on.”

Theo lets Derek lead him across the cafeteria, the older boy waving to other people as they greet him. It hits Theo that he must be pretty popular, at least enough for so many people to call out to him. And yet here Derek is, offering to help Theo.

Theo lets out a breath of relief when he spots Corey at a table in front of them. He’s sitting there with a few other boys and they’re all laughing about something. Theo’s momentarily worried that he might not be welcome here. He’s heard stories about people being close before high school and then suddenly their friend drops them in order to be part of a new crowd.

 _But this is Corey,_ he thinks, _Corey’s a good guy. He wouldn’t do that._

“Corey,” Derek greets the boy as they stop in front of the table. “Someone was looking for you.”

Corey looks over at Theo and grins, “Oh dude. Theo! I was getting worried when I didn’t see you. Come on,” He moves over so that Theo can sit next to him at the table before gesturing at the other boys. “This is Stiles, he’s a freshman too. And then you know Nolan. He’s finally joining us here in good old Benton and leaving his small town existence.”

“We’re lucky we had a grade school and a gas station,” Nolan says. “Though I think we could have a high school if they really wanted to. But the county probably likes herding us all together.”

“Nolan, if Akin had a high school it would only have 10 people in it,” Corey jokes.

“He’s right,” Stiles says. “Money wise it makes sense to have everyone go here. There’s room for it. And this way the smaller towns that only have a few students won’t have to worry about paying to run a school when it’s just those kids.”

“And you all can socialize with more than just your neighbors,” Corey says.

“Thank god for that,” Nolan says, “My neighbors suck.”

Theo looks over when he feels a hand on his shoulder to see Derek watching him with a small smile, “You good?”

Theo nods, “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for helping me out.”

“Anytime,” Derek tells him. “I mean it. You need anything or if anyone is giving you any trouble you let me know. Now just try to enjoy yourself. Maybe join a few clubs.”

Stiles wrinkles his nose, “Why on earth would we do that?”

“Pizza and field trips,” Derek winks, starting to back away.

Theo really can’t argue with that. Stiles can though. He shakes his head, watching as Derek walks away, “Who would join a club for just pizza and friend trips?”

Theo apparently. By the end of the week he’s already signed up for Student Chamber, Art Club, and Hovercraft. The last two he knows nothing about but heard have awesome trips. The first one is because of Tara. She’s in it and enjoys it. They do a lot to help out the community and then take trips at the end of the year. He’s not the least bit surprised when Corey joins too.

It’s even better when he walks into the first student chamber meeting and sees Derek sitting at the front of the room. He grins when Theo steps up to the table, “Hey! You actually joined.”

Theo nods and gives him a small smile, “Yeah. I took your advice about the clubs. And Tara always seemed to like this one.”

“It is one of the best,” Derek says, throwing a grin over his shoulder at Coach Finstock.

Theo had met him on his first day of school when he’d walked into his intro to business class. The man was certainly interesting. He could be a bit… intense, but it made class entertaining. Theo has no doubt he’ll do the same for the club.

“Quit sucking up, Hale.” Finstock says, though he’s grinning. “You’re already captain of the basketball team and president of the club. I don’t know what more you could want.”

“A trip to Florida,” Derek says.

Coach rolls his eyes, “I keep telling you kids if you save your money and we earn enough it can happen in a few years.”

“Yeah but by then I’ll be gone,” Derek says.

Coach shrugs, “Maybe you all should have thought of that before.”

“I’d settle for a trip to Chicago next spring,” Derek suggests.

Coach sighs, “Just take the money for the pizza and quit bugging me. You have a line waiting now.”

“It’s not even my job,” Derek tells him, but he still turns around and takes the two dollars Theo hands over. “Two slices,” he leans in and whispers to where only Theo and Corey can hear him. “If it looks like the pepperoni is gone just check the bottom boxes.”

He winks and stands back up, already moving on to the next person. Coach comes up to stand next to the table as Theo and Corey grab their pizza and move to find seats.

“Whose job is it anyway?” Coach asks. “Wait, wasn’t Greenberg treasurer? Which was a stupid idea, by the way. Who’d let Greenberg handle money?”

“Greenberg moved to California to be with his boyfriend,” Derek says, “Remember?”

“I thought everyone was messing with me,” Coach says. “Because in what universe is Greenberg able to get a boyfriend?”

“He’s actually pretty hot, Coach,” Derek’s sister Laura pipes up from the back of the room. She’s sitting there with her boyfriend Parrish who nods his head in agreement.

“I’d hate to agree with my sister,” Derek says, grinning when Laura sticks her tongue out at him. “But Greenberg is pretty hot. I even hear he’s already had a few modeling jobs.”

Coach looks even more confused, “No way. Greenberg is not a model.”

“He is,” Stiles says, walking up to the table with his phone in hand. “See?”

Coach scoffs and takes the phone, looking down at it in disbelief, “That is _not_ Greenberg.”

“It is,” Laura tells him. “I’m telling you, summer before sophomore year he got really hot. Like burning,” she places a kiss to Parrish’s cheek, “Not as burning as you though, Jordan.”

“Then why did he never date anyone here?” Coach asks.

“He did,” Parrish says, speaking for the first time. “Me, his sophomore year.”

Coach narrows his eyes, “Yeah well, you’re just a nice guy Parrish. That doesn’t…”

“Here,” Isaac Lahey says, putting a yearbook down on the table and pointing to the picture there, “That’s from last year. He’s hot. We know it now. Can we please all just get our food and start the meeting?”

Coach nods and waves him off, bringing him the yearbook back to his desk, “I can’t believe Greenberg is model material.”

“To be fair Coach, it would have been weird if you noticed,” Derek says.

“Yes, thank you Hale.” Coach says, closing the yearbook with a smack. “I’m your Coach and mentor. It’s not my job to notice who got hot. Except for you Hale, everyone noticed when you start learning to grow a beard.”

“Yeah including Stiles,” Cora says, laughing when Stiles blushes and flips her off.

Derek himself has a light dusting of pink on his cheeks as he continues to take people’s money. As much as Stiles put up a fight about joining clubs he’s still here and Theo has a pretty good feeling why.

They don’t really get to discuss much apart from what the club is about since they took up so much time in the beginning. Then Coach sends them off, telling them he’ll see them all next week and to be prepared to actually get down to business.

Theo’s feeling pretty good by the end of the week. He likes high school a lot better than he thought he would. He has new friends and people he enjoys spending time with. But he still misses Liam. He can’t help but wonder how the week is going for him. They haven’t talked a lot this week. Liam hasn’t said much but from what he has heard Theo figures it’s something supernatural related. Which does not help ease his worries at all.

Theo honestly prefers being at school to being home. It’s another reason why he’s joined so many clubs. It’ll be something to do to get him out of the house and away from Mike. He knows that means less time at home to talk to Liam but they can at least still write, or maybe even email. That’s a thing now. He knows there’s more privacy with the email, less chance of Mike or his Mom seeing the letters from Liam and possibly opening them. But he still likes coming home and finding the letter in his mailbox. It’s a nice feeling, knowing that Liam took the time to write him the letter, and being able to see that familiar handwriting forming words that are meant just for him.

Theo falls back on his bed and grabs a pad and paper and starts to write. If he can’t talk to Liam on the phone right now he might as well tell him about his week somehow.

 

_Dear Liam,_

_How is everything? I know you have a lot going on, what with starting high school and apparently some supernatural threat. I hope you’re okay. I’ve been thinking about you a lot this week. But then again, when am I not thinking about you?_

_High school has actually been pretty good so far. I’ve made some new friends already, and not just freshman either. There’s this sophomore, Derek. He’s really nice. Everyone seems to love him. Though I feel like an idiot because it took me until the second day of school to realize just who he is. He’s the Mayor’s son. He told me yesterday that sometimes he wonders if people actually like him for him or just because of who his mother is. I can’t imagine what that must be like, thinking that someone likes you and wants to be your friend only to find out they’re just trying to get close to you because of who you are. I told him that I had no idea who he was and I just liked him because he was a good guy. That seemed to cheer him up a bit._

_Mason’s Mom is the Mayor of Beacon Hills, right? He might understand a little bit what that’s like. But luckily he has you around to remind him how awesome he is. And Corey. I know he misses him a lot. He talks about Mason to anyone that will listen. Not that I can blame him._

_I joined some clubs and have even gone to a few meetings. It’s a little weird. I never really thought of myself as a club person but it’s actually pretty fun. The lacrosse coach and business teacher runs one of the clubs and he’s a riot. He keeps going on about some guy named Greenberg, but apparently the dude doesn’t even go to school here anymore. He moved to California to be with his boyfriend. I kind of envy him that._

_I miss you, Liam. A lot. As great as this week has been I can’t help thinking about how much better it would be with you here. Someone will tell a joke and I’ll want to look over and see your reaction and then realize I can’t. I know it’s only been a few weeks since we saw each other but it feels like so much longer. I’m just waiting for the next time we’re able to see each other again. I hope it’s not too long._

_I’ll end this with a music recommendations if you haven’t listened already. I just got into Simple Plan’s ‘No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls…’ I’m pretty obsessed with it. That and the Mest self-titled album. I’d listen to Jaded (Theses Years). It’s one of my favorites and Benji from Good Charlotte sings on it. There’s also Yellowcard’s ‘Ocean Avenue’ album and the self-titled All-American Rejects album._

_I hope to hear from you soon Liam._

_Xoxo Theo_

 

Theo’s pleased when he opens the mailbox not even a week later and finds a letter there from Liam. He all but runs inside the house, happy that he’s the only one home for the time being, and then back to his room. He closes his door, kicks his shoes off after throwing his backpack down, and then collapses on his bed. He does his best to slowly open the letter, not wanting to rip it. Once he’s open his eyes scan the page, greedily taking in the words Liam has written him.

_Hey Theo,_

_I thought about just emailing you back after getting your letter, that way you’d get your answers faster. But letter writing just sort of feels like us. It’s our thing, and I kind of wanted to stick to that. Even if there is a delay. And by now we’ve talked on the phone and you know everything is okay._

_I’m still sorry for worrying you about the rogue omega. Sometimes I forget that you know about all this stuff now and I can actually fill you in. But I’ll try and do better from now on, I promise. We really are all fine though._

_I’m glad you’ve had a good first week of school and that you’re actually getting out there and making friends and joining clubs. I’m so proud. I’ve had a good first week too. It’s been busy, what with school and fighting off the omega. But it really was a good first week._

_I’ve been missing you though. A lot. It still doesn’t seem fair that we have to be so far apart. It’s like… I know you were put in my life for a reason. And that you’re an important part of it and I like you soooo much. But it’s still hard having to be away from you for so long. There is definitely no ‘out of sight, out of mind’ here. Believe me. I’d say I was still driving Mason crazy with how much I talk about you, but he’s probably just as bad about Corey. I’m glad to hear that Corey misses him too. It would be a little tragic if Mason was so smitten with someone that wasn’t equally as smitten. But I saw the way they were together over the summer and the feelings definitely have to go both ways there._

_Yessss more music recommendations. I live for them. I do. I have heard the Simple Plan album already. It’s one of Lyana’s favorites and one of the few things we can agree on. I went out and picked up the others last night. Mom probably wondered why I wanted so many CD’s but she didn’t question it. Though she probably gets it, at least a little bit. I haven’t had a chance to listen to all of them yet, but I do love the Mest album. Lost, Broken, Confused is probably my favorite there. I promise I will give the others a listen and report back to you._

_So one other new thing is that I’m now taking a photography class and have a nice new camera. You can probably expect loads of pictures. I already put some in of me and then Mason and Lyana if you want to give them to Corey and Tara._

_I hope to hear from you soon Theo._

_Missing you,  
Liam_

 

Theo smiles as he re-reads the letter for what feels like the 5th time. It’s such a familiar thing that he can’t help but feeling relieved. As much as he hates to admit it, he’d been a little bit afraid that things would be different with Liam now that they’re in high school. It’s nice to know that they’re not. They both might be busier, but they’ll always have time for each other. He takes the photos out and tapes the ones of Liam to the wall behind his bed next to other pictures he has there. He puts the others away to give to Tara and Corey later. He falls asleep that night, staring at Liam smiling brightly down at him.

The next few weeks seem to fly by. Before Theo knows it, it’s October and his friends and talking about going to the homecoming dance. Theo almost considers not going. He doesn’t have a date, and doesn’t want one. Not one that isn’t Liam. But then Corey and Derek convince him to go since they’re all going as a group. He finally gives in. It might be nice to just go and dance and have fun with his friends. He can take pictures of him and Corey and send them to Liam and Mason even.

Now he’s standing in front of his mirror, struggling helplessly with the tie Tara had insisted he wear with his dark grey button down shirt. He’s about 10 seconds away from throwing the tie down and just deciding to do without when a soft knock sounds on his door. He looks over, expecting to see Tara but finds his mother there instead.

She gives him a small smile as she steps into the room, “Need help?”

Theo’s shoulders sag as he lets out a deep sigh, “Please.”

She chuckles and moves towards him, rearranging the tie a bit before working on tying it. She glances up at him as she works. “I can’t believe my boy is about to go to his first dance.”

“There were dances in middle school, Mom,” Theo says.

“I know but this is your first _high school_ dance,” his mother says. “And you’re turning 15 next month and soon you’ll be driving. You’ve grown up so fast.”

The words ‘ _I kind of had to_ ’ are there on the tip of his tongue but he holds them in. His mother isn’t a bad person, not really. He knows she cares about him. But she also loves Mike. At least he thinks she does. She brought him into their lives and refuses to get rid of him. No matter how many times he lashes out at them or costs her a job, she stays with him. Theo can’t help but resent her for that. He tries not to but he does. And it only gets worse the longer she stays with the bastard.

“All done,” His mother says, smoothing down his shirt as she pulls back with a smile. “Oh you look so handsome. I need to get the camera.”

“ _Mom_ ,” Theo whines.

His mother just shakes her head, holding up a finger as she heads towards the door. “Just a few pictures of you and Tara. And then I have the disposable camera for you to bring to take pictures with your friends.”

Theo just nods and lets himself be herded into the living room where Tara is already waiting. She has on a simple blank dress that goes to her knees and flows out a bit and a pair of low heels. Theo’s surprised to see her in them. She’s never been much for heels.

She gives him a knowing smile as they line up to take pictures. He knows she’s not a fan of it either but she still does it to humor their mother. Once they’re done they all but run out the door to Tara’s car. She’s driving them there before Theo meets up with Derek, Corey, Stiles, and Nolan. He has his bag already in the backseat since he’s going to be crashing at Derek’s tonight with the others. He’s pretty relieved about it. At least this way he can stay out and enjoy himself without worrying about getting home.

“If you’re going to drink tonight, be safe.” Tara tells him, as they exit the car and head towards the gym. “Make sure no one drives, do you hear me?”

“Tara, no one is even old enough to drive yet,” he tells her. “Most of them are freshman or sophomores that haven’t turned 16 yet.”

“Jordan and Laura are both seniors and have cars,” Tara points out.

“Yeah but I’m not going to be with them,” Theo tells her. “I’m going to be with Corey, Derek, Stiles, and Nolan. And probably Isaac since those two have been making eyes at each other.”

“Isaac drives,” Tara says, “But it doesn’t matter. If you’re with someone that drives just don’t get in the car with them if they’ve been drinking. If you’re even the slightest bit unsure if they have, don’t do it. Call me and I’ll come get you. Okay?”

Theo nods, “Okay.”

Tara smiles and gives him a one-armed hug, “Good. Now let’s go dance. Or sit at the table stuffing your face with snacks. Whatever you boys are planning.”

“Both,” Corey says, throwing his arm around Theo’s shoulders with a grin. “We are the kings of multitasking.”

“Sure you are,” Tara says, shaking her head. “Well I see Cora so I’m off. I’ll see you later. Be safe.”

“Always,” Theo says.

Tara doesn’t look all that convinced.

Theo lets Corey lead him over to one of the tables with Derek, Stiles, Nolan, and Isaac are already sitting. Not many people are on the dance floor yet so Theo takes a seat next to Isaac who nods his head in greeting. He doesn’t know a lot about the kid but he can tell he’s kind of guarded. He’d asked Derek about it but Derek had just shaken his head with a sad smile and said something about him not having the best home life.

It’s actually a pretty fun night. They all dance and talk and have a good time. They leave a little bit before the dance is over and head to McDonald’s to grab dinner. There are quite a few people there in dresses and nice clothes so it’s apparently the spot to be after dances. He grabs a table with Corey while the others head up to order.

Theo looks around at all the smiling people and is just hit with how much he misses Liam. He talked to him last night for a few hours but it’s still not the same as having him here. He knows Liam had his own homecoming dance to tonight. He wonders if he left early too to go get dinner. Or if maybe he’s at some party at someone’s house. He knows Liam has gone to a few though he’s said he’s still never drank. He doubts Liam would ever lie about something like that, at least to him.

“I miss them too, you know?” Corey says, breaking Theo out of his thoughts. He gives Theo a sad smile when Theo’s eyes snap in his direction. “It’s hard being away from Mason. Especially on nights like this when all I want is to see him all dressed up and be able to dance with him and hold his hand and kiss him.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo says. He’s not sure what he’s apologizing for. Maybe because he’s the reason they met and now have to be apart like this.

Corey just shakes his head, “Don’t be. I’m glad I know Mason. He’s… amazing. And god I can’t believe I’m saying this at only 15 but I really can see this lasting. Is that crazy?”

“No,” Theo says, “I feel the same way. Not about Mason,” he hurries to add, “about Liam.”

“I figured,” Corey says, giving him an amused smile. “I didn’t think you’d suddenly start harboring feelings for my boyfriend. Not when you're so in love with Liam.”

Theo’s mouth opens in shock as he stares wide eyed at Corey. It’s not the first time he’s heard the word. He’s thought plenty about falling in love with Liam. But it’s the first time it’s been said so casually and he finds that it isn’t wrong. The thought terrifies him a bit. Sometimes he’s not even sure what he is to Liam. Sure, they talk all the time and when they see each other they kiss and cuddle and hold hands and it all feels big and important. But they’ve never actually put a label on it. He knows he could just ask, but what if he does and he doesn’t get the answer he wants? He doesn’t think he’d be able to handle that. So he takes what he can get.

He thinks about what Corey said the whole rest of the night. He knows the others can tell he’s distracted but no one says anything. Corey just tells them he’s thinking about a boy and they let it go. The only one that seems not to is Derek. Theo can feel his concerned gaze on him and he tries to ignore it.

He winds up slipping outside onto Derek’s back porch at one point while the others are inside playing video games. It’s nice out, a light breeze in the air but nothing too chilly yet. He can get away with not wearing a coat.

Theo sighs and looks up at the full moon and wonders what Liam is doing. He wonders whether he’s still with his friends or he went to run through the woods like he says he likes to when the moon is full. The thought makes him smile.

“I miss you Liam.”

He barely whispers it, afraid to say the words too loud in the quiet of the night. It’s just for him and the moon to hear, and hopefully somewhere Liam will know.

“Who’s Liam?” a voice asks from the shadows, startling Theo so much he jumps.

He spins around to see Derek stepping out of the darkness and leans back against the railing, running a hand through his hair. “No one. Liam’s just…”

He’s not sure what to say. Liam’s not a friend. But there’s still that constant wondering about whether they’re actually boyfriends.

“He’s someone important,” Derek says, leaning against the wall opposite him.

Theo nods, “Yeah, he is.”

“Does he know that?”

Theo furrows his brow, “Yeah. I mean, I think he does.”

“You should call him,” Derek says.

“He’s probably too busy tonight,” Theo says. “His homecoming was tonight too. And if he’s not with his friends he’s out… doing things.”

“Things,” Derek says, drawing out the word. “What kind of things?”

“I don’t know. Things people do on full moons,” Theo says before he can think better of it. “You know people say the crazies come out on full moons.”

Derek’s lips twitch up into a smile, “Are you calling Liam crazy?”

“What?! No! I just… he…” Theo really isn’t sure how to explain this away. He frowns when he notices Derek’s eyes move down to where his heart is beating rapidly in his chest. He’s noticed that happening a lot lately and has brushed it off. But this whole conversation has him wondering if maybe his suspicions have been right. “Do you like the moon, Derek?”

The question seems to throw Derek off guard. His eyes snap up to meet his, big and round, “What?”

“Well I mean you were out here lurking in the shadows,” Theo says. “I figured maybe you felt a certain _pull_ towards the moon. You know?”

Derek moves forward, blocking Theo against the railing with his hands on either side of him, “What do you know?”

Theo holds his hands up between them, “Relax Der. I just… I had to test it first. I’m not a hunter or anything. I just…” Theo lowers his voice to a whisper, “I know about werewolves.”

Derek still doesn’t look all that pleased by his response, “How?”

“Liam’s one, okay?” Theo says, hoping that will be enough.

Derek’s eyes move down to his chest again and then he’s relaxing and taking a step back. He leans against the railing next to Theo and rubs the back of his neck, “Sorry. I know I got a little…”

“Intense?” Theo finishes, “Yeah a bit. But it’s kind of my fault. I could have gone about it a different way. But I didn’t want to just say werewolves and have you looking at me like I’m crazy.”

“That’s fair,” Derek says. “Not a lot of people know about us. And with my Mom being mayor…”

“You have to be careful,” Theo says, “I get it. Liam explained a little bit to me.”

“Is he a born wolf?” Derek asks.

Theo nods, “Yeah. His Mom is his alpha and his sister is a werewolf too. His stepdad is their emissary.”

“Stiles’ Mom is ours,” Derek says. “And one day Stiles probably will be.”

“For you?” Theo asks.

Derek shakes his head, “No, Laura is oldest so she’ll be alpha. Which is fine. She’s been preparing for it most of her life. Granted neither of us want her to have to be ready for a long time.”

Theo nods and the pair fall into a companionable silence. It’s one of the things he likes about hanging out with Derek. The two can talk easily, but he also doesn’t try and force conversation just for the sake of it.

He does ask to use Derek’s phone when they get back inside, taking it and slipping back out onto the deck. He tries Liam’s house first and is told by Jenna that Liam is staying at Mason’s. She kindly gives him the number even though he could easily just ask Corey for it.

He feels a little weird calling the number for someone’s house he doesn’t know. He knows he’s met Mason but there’s still a chance it won’t be Mason that answers, and then he’s going to be the weird kid calling and asking for someone that doesn’t even live there.

Luckily a familiar voice answers the phone on a second ring, “Hello?”

“Mason?” Theo asks.

“Yeah,” Mason says, sounding a little confused. “Who is this?”

“It’s Theo. I umm… Jenna told me Liam was there?”

“Theo!” Mason says, louder than before and sounding more excited. “Yeah dude. He’s upstairs. Just let me…”

“Did you say Theo?” Liam’s voice sounds from somewhere near Mason.

“Yeah he’s on the phone,” Mason says.

“For me?” Liam asks.

“No, he’s calling to talk to me,” Mason says. “Of course he’s calling for you, dumb ass.”

There’s some muffled conversation and then Liam’s voice is coming down the line, sounding a little breathless. “Theo, hey.”

Theo can’t stop the smile from spreading across his face at the sound of his name coming from Liam’s lips. “Hey Li. How are you?”

Liam laughs a bit at that, “I’m great. But I have a feeling you didn’t just call to ask me how I am.”

“No,” Theo says, sitting down on the porch steps, “I called because I miss you and I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Me too,” Liam says, “I didn’t call! But I miss you and have been wanting to hear your voice. How was the dance?”

“It was fun,” Theo says, “I would have liked it better if I was dancing with you.”

“Yeah I know,” Liam says, his voice soft. “I imagined I was sometimes. That we were together and dancing like we did over the summer.”

“Me too.”

Theo hates how he suddenly doesn’t know what to say. He has Liam on the phone, is hearing his voice and now he’s out of words. But he doesn’t want to hang up. Even if they’re not talking, it’s enough to just know he’s there. He might be thousands of miles away but he’s still around. He’s still part of Theo’s life.

“Do you think it will ever get easier?” Liam asks, “Being apart?”

“No,” Theo says. He thinks if anything it’ll get harder. The more that time goes on and he gets to know this amazing boy, he’s just going to miss Liam more. “I’m always going to wish we were together, Liam.”

“I am too,” Liam tells him, his voice breaking a little on the words. “We will be one day. Okay? We will.”

“Yeah,” Theo says, trying his hardest to believe Liam. “We will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter where the self-harm tag comes into play. It is two paragraphs and does go into slight detail. I have put bolded ~~~ before the paragraph it starts and after the paragraph it ends if anyone wishes to avoid it.
> 
> Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World was the soundtrack for Liam's part of the chapter, with lyrics from [A Praise Chorus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bL3PTDs8EA) being used

“I just hope this bullshit with the hunters is really over,” Liam grumbles from his place on the bed.

“Such language,” Lyana says, an amused smile on her face as she looks at him through her mirror. “I have no idea where you learned it.”

“Probably from you,” Liam says. “You’ve cursed like a sailor since you entered high school.”

Lyana covers her heart in mock offense, “Ladies don’t curse.”

“Good thing you’re not a lady,” Liam retorts. He laughs and easily catches the tube of mascara she throws at him, placing it onto the nightstand next to her bed. “But seriously,” he says, a small frown pulling at his lips. “Do you think it’s over?”

Lyana puts down her eyeliner, and turns to face him, “I hope so. Mom and Dad seem to think it is. And I don’t think they’d lie to us. They’d want us to be aware of what was happening so we could be prepared. Unlike…”

“Unlike when the hunters came to town and we had no idea our guidance counselor was one?” Liam asks. He shudders at the memory of that horrible woman. At first he’d thought she was overly friendly, and a little bit creepy, with the way she got too close to him and touched his arm. That had been enough to make him want to go to his parents. Then he’d smelled the gunpowder on her skin, and had instantly gone on the alert.

It had taken six months to deal with it all. Six months of sleepless nights and having to keep his guard up, worried that any slip up could put the people he cared about in danger. That had included Theo. Even thousands of miles away, Liam can’t help but worry about his safety, and what would happen if anyone dangerous found out about him.

Which unfortunately meant limiting contact. He’d wanted so badly to tell Theo what was happening, but hadn’t wanted to worry him. But now it seems to be over. Which brings on another worry of how Theo will react to something that big being kept from him. He imagines Mason must feel the same way about Corey, yet another thing that makes him feel guilty. He just hopes both Theo and Corey understand. Tara too.

“Where’s your head at?” Lyana asks him.

“Theo.”

Rather than the usual smirk she’d wear, Lyana’s face shifts to one of understanding. “You’re worried about telling him.”

“Of course I am,” Liam sighs. “Aren’t you? Worried about telling Tara.”

“I am,” Lyana says, “but I also know that she had every right to be angry. So does Theo. And Corey. They’re entitled to it. So if she wants to yell and scream at me, she can. I’ll take it. And I know that once it’s out there and she’s had time to process, she’ll understand. So will Theo.”

“I hope so.”

“You just need to get it over with,” Lyana tells him. “It’ll be easier once it’s out there and then you can focus on things going back to normal.

Liam nods. He knows she’s right.

It’s still hard to make himself pick up the phone and call. He wants to talk to Theo so badly. He’s just not sure what to say. He hears the sound of music coming from Lyana’s room, and smiles. Music. He’s been wanting to talk to Theo about the albums he’s been listening to anyway. Might as well start there.

_All I need is just to hear a song I know_  
_I wanna always feel like part of this was mine_  
_I wanna fall in love tonight_

He dials Theo’s number as the music continues to play quietly in the background. He’s relieved when it’s Theo’s voice that reaches his ears.

“Liam! Hey!”

Liam smiles at the excitement in his voice. It really has been too long since they talked.

“Hey Theo,” Liam says.

“What’s up?”

Liam falls back on his bed and stares at the ceiling, “Lyana’s listening to Jimmy Eat World, and it just made me think of you.”

“Man I was just listening to Bleed American last night,” Theo says. “It’s such a good album.”

“It is,” Liam agrees. “One of my favorites. I’m ready for fall to get here. I need new music from them.”

“Definitely,” Theo says. “What else have you been listening to?”

“Some Hoobastank,” Liam says, trying to think back to the albums he’s been playing. “System of a Down. Eminem. Mest. And I’m still listening to Good Charlotte and Simple Plan. I’ve been all over the place.”

“Clearly,” Theo says, a smile in his voice. “And I’m just hear mourning the loss of *NSYNC.”

Liam chuckles, “It’s okay. So is my mom.”

“Glad someone has taste,” Theo comments.

“Are you trying to tell me my music taste isn’t good?”

“Not as good as your moms.”

“I’m not sure whether I should be offended or not,” Liam laughs. “My mom does have good taste.”

Liam can hear Theo laughing on the other end of the line, and it makes his heart flip. “Liam, you have great taste in music. I could never doubt anyone that loves Jimmy Eat World.”

“Good.”

There’s silence for a moment, nothing breaking it besides the quiet sounds of their breathing, and the album still playing in Lyana’s room.

“Is there another reason you called?” Theo asks him.

“Yeah, there is.” Liam takes a deep breath. “I know I’ve been distant lately and I think it’s time you find out why.”

“Liam…”

“No. Please. Just let me talk.”

“Okay.”

“There was a threat from a hunter here,” Liam tells him. “She was working at the school. And it took awhile for us to get it under control. But during that time I couldn’t risk her finding out about you and going after you. So I pulled back. I’m sorry, Theo. I know I should have told you…”

“You’re damn right you should have told me!” Theo says, his voicing raising slightly. Liam hears him take a deep breath before he continues, his voice lower than before. “Liam, what if something had happened to you? I would have been here with no idea until it was too late.”

“Even if you knew it wouldn’t have done any good,” Liam tells him. “It would have just caused you unnecessary worry, Theo. Worry that you didn’t need.”

“I was already worried,” Theo says. “I just didn’t know _why_.”

“Are you mad?”

There’s a beat of silence before Theo speaks, “A little. But I’ll get over it. I’m just glad you’re alright. All of you.”

Liam lets out a relieved breath, “Yeah we’re good. Everyone is safe. The town is safe. Things can go back to normal.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Is everything okay with you?” Liam asks him.

He doesn’t like the way Theo hesitates before answering him. “Yeah of course. Everything is great. You know, school and clubs and stuff. The usual.”

He can’t help but feel like there’s something else. But he doesn’t question it. Theo has no reason to lie to him. If there was something Liam should know, he’d tell him. He has to believe that.

They spend another hour talking on the phone before Lyana bangs on the door to tell him it’s her turn to talk to Tara.

Liam sighs, “I have to go. Lyana wants to use the phone. But we’ll talk soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Theo says. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Liam tells him. “I’ll call you.”

He hangs up, and looks at where Lyana is standing in the door. “What?”

“You know you could have just had Theo hand the phone to Tara?” she asks.

“Oh yeah. Sorry. I was distracted.”

“Mhmm. So did you tell him?”

Liam nods, “I did.”

“And how did he take it?” she asks.

“He was angry,” Liam says. “At least at first. But he seemed okay by the end.”

“Yet you’re still worried.”

It’s not a question. Lyana has always been able to read him well. It’s one of the annoying things about her. Though sometimes he is grateful for it.

“Something just felt off,” Liam admits. “But I can’t place what.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Lyana tells him. “Tara just says there’s a lot of school stress. I’m sure that’s all it is.”

Liam hopes so. He still can’t help but feel worried there’s more going on that he knows and Theo is willing to tell him.

***

Theo doesn’t know how to explain it but he feels like he’s often at war with his own mind. He’s always felt off, but it’s never been this bad before. It’s like no matter how hard he tries these thoughts keep seeping in. Thoughts that tell him he’s not good enough. That he never will be. He does his best to ignore them, but they’re still there underneath the surface. Along with the thoughts comes all the pain and anger and guilt.

He just wants a way to make it better. To make the thoughts in his head less loud. He’s heard things, ways people try to cope with the things they’re feeling. Until now it had never been something he seriously considered. But with the way he’s feeling…

He needs to try something. He can’t keep feeling like this. So low and broken and lost and like everything is out of his control. He needs a way to relieve his thoughts. Even just for a moment. It’s easy enough to find what he’s looking for. Tara’s been going through a phase where a lot of her clothes consist of safety pins. She won’t miss one.

He still grabs it from her pencil case and runs back to his room before anyone can notice. He’s not sure how he would explain himself if anyone caught him. Especially to Tara. She’d see right through him.

_**~~~**_  
Theo looks from the safety pin in his hand and then at the pale skin of his arm. His heart is thudding in his chest as he wonders if he’s really going to do this. Part of his mind is telling him not to, that there are other ways to deal with everything. Another louder part tells him it will help, that it’s something he can control. That he’s tried other ways and nothing has helped.

He closes his eyes against the sting of tears, making himself take a few deep breaths before opening them. They’re still falling as he lowers the safety pin down and slices. It stings but doesn't do much. He didn’t think it would. He knew he needed to start small though. It’s enough to make him do it again and again and again, watching as his skin turns red and a cut starts to form and slowly bleed.  
**_~~~  
_**

He’s not sure if he’s crying more out of relief or sadness anymore. He just knows that as crazy as it might seem he feels _better_. Not better altogether, but it makes his thoughts seem a little less hectic. On top of that there is guilt. He knows he can’t ever tell anyone about this, not even Liam. He doesn’t know how he could possible explain it in a way that anyone could understand.

He’s not planning to kill himself. He just needs an outlet. Some way to handle the stress and that he can control. But he doubts anyone would see it like that. He’s just grateful that he usually gets cold easily so he can excuse wearing sweatshirts, even in the late spring weather. And if he invests in a few sweatbands with band names on them to help him cover up his scars, well that’s his business. It’s not as if anyone is ever going to get close enough to see his skin.

Theo takes a deep breath and stares down at his math homework. It’s easier now to focus on the problems at hand and he’s able to finish the last few problems in a few minutes. Math has always been easy for him, at least once he knows how to do a problem. It’s easy to work them out after that. He’s even had a few phone calls with Liam who has read problems for Theo to help him figure out. Theo always does. He knows Liam could easily go to Mason, who is taking the same class and is practically a genius. But he comes to Theo for help. That makes something pleasant flutter in his gut. Like maybe he is good for something after all. It’s just too bad that the person that sees that is so far away.

The house phone rings and Theo jumps. He rushes towards it, hoping it might be Liam. It is. But before he can pick it up, the phone stops ringing and he hears Mike’s gruff voice sounding from the living room, followed by heavy footsteps. Mike stops in front of his open door and stares at him, his eyes narrowed as he grips the phone loosely in his hand.

“Well?” Mike snaps, after a moment of the two just staring at each other. “I know you know you have a call, so are you going to pick up the damn phone?”

Theo nods and grabs the phone off the charge and hits the answer button. He brings it up to his ear but doesn’t say anything. His eyes are on Mike, who is still standing in the doorway, watching him. He sees Mike’s eyes drift to his wrist, but doesn’t dare move. His eyes narrow further but he doesn’t say anything. Finally he ends the call on his phone, and turns and walks back down the hall.

Theo lets out a breath of relief and rushes forward to close his door. “Hey Liam.”

“So that was intense,” Liam says. His tone is casual but Theo can hear the question there, even without Liam asking.

“He’s been stressed lately,” Theo says, repeating the words his mother so often says to him. As if that makes it any better. “It’s fine.”

“Theo if something is wrong…”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Theo sighs, falling back onto his bed. “Really. I guess I’m a little stressed too. You know school and stuff. But… I’m fine. I was just thinking of you, actually.”

Theo doesn’t say why. He’s not sure how he would. The realization that he’s going to be keeping something from Liam makes his stomach churn. They can usually talk to each other about anything. They should be able to talk about this, but Theo doesn’t even know how he would explain it. The fear that Liam wouldn’t understand eats away at him, making him keep his mouth shut.

“Oh yeah?” Liam asks, his tone turning teasing. “What were you thinking about? How ridiculously attractive I am and how you wish you could get your hands on me?”

Theo snorts, “Maybe. More so that I miss you.”

Liam is silent for a moment, the only sound him shifting around on his bed. “I miss you too. So much. This distance sucks. It’s nice getting to hear your voice, but I want to see you. And not just through a screen or picture. It’s not the same.”

“I know,” Theo whispers, closing his eyes as tears threaten to fall again. He can’t cry. Not now. “Do you think we’ll be together again?”

“Yeah of course,” Liam says. “We’ll figure something out, Theo. It’s us. It’ll take a lot more than distance to tear us apart.”

Theo wants to believe him, but the words, as hopeful as they are, still fill him with a sense of foreboding. He’s heard people talk about how people change and grow apart as they get older. He doesn’t want that to happen with them. He has to believe that they’re different and they can handle whatever the world decides to throw at them. It’s the only thing that makes this whole mess easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
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